Fresh coffee & loyal customers, powered by Reserve Its subscription platform​

4WKS Coffee is more than just a caffeine fix. Launched at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African brand set out with a bold mission: build a coffee experience rooted in sustainability, convenience, and local pride.

While Nespresso® made pod coffee effortless, it came with a cost—over 60 billion pods discarded annually, most ending up in landfills. As self-proclaimed coffee snobs with a love for the planet, the founders asked: What if pod coffee could be just as easy, but without the waste? And what if, instead of generic beans, customers could enjoy freshly roasted, South African coffee?

The answer? 4WKS—a collective of local roasters crafting 100% compostable pods, delivered every four weeks for peak freshness.

The whole purpose of 4WKS is coffee, compost and community. It's all about celebrating the South African coffee scene and creating a product that is conscious, inclined to the environment and is convenient. — Courtney Munna, Creative Director at 4WKS Coffee

As subscription demand grew, so did the operational complexity. That's when 4WKS turned to Reserve It.

Scaling Freshness Without Sacrificing Quality​

We really pride ourselves on delivering the coffee beans immediately after grinding and putting them into the capsules, on a four-week cycle, which is like a tribute to the name, 4WKS.

For 4WKS Coffee, freshness isn't a feature—it's the foundation. Their pods are ground, packed, and shipped on a four-week cycle to ensure customers never drink stale coffee. But as demand grew, their initial subscription setup couldn't keep up.

4WKS and many South African merchants face unique subscription challenges—global ecommerce platforms don't pay out to local banks for subscriptions. "Subscriptions felt like a giant hill to climb," as Courtney puts it. This meant that recurring billing was not an accessible feature for South African ecommerce merchants, and workarounds were necessary to create subscription offerings for the South African market.

Initially, 4WKS was using a basic recurring invoicing model via Shopify [with Seal Subscriptions]. While it allowed for some repeat orders, it lacked the core functionality needed to run a modern subscription business—automatic billing, customer account control, and operational flexibility.

We did previously have a subscription model that was hosted on Shopify, but it didn't have an automatic billing system, it only did recurring invoicing… Our customers were really thrilled that we had considered updating our subscription. Previously it was just a little bit complicated.

What started as a simple, small-scale offering quickly became a logistical bottleneck. It was clear: to continue delivering freshness at scale, 4WKS needed a system that could grow with them.

Reserve Its Local Support and Seamless Automation​

Reserve It implemented automated billing, which made things so much easier and more seamless. Plus, customers can skip, pause, or cancel anytime—something we felt strongly about. We never wanted to force people into a billing cycle. It was also just great to find a local solution. We didn't have to deal with support teams in the US, Europe, or India. It was direct, hands-on, and we figured out what we needed together.

With Reserve It, 4WKS Coffee was finally able to move away from clunky manual processes. The new system automated their billing, gave customers full control over their subscriptions, and helped reduce admin work—without sacrificing the personal touch the brand is known for.

Courtney also emphasized how essential the customer portal is—especially in the South African context, where past experiences with debit orders have made many wary of subscription models. Giving subscribers the ability to pause, skip, or cancel with ease has helped build transparency and trust.

Steady Growth, Loyal Customers, and Operational Wins​

Since adopting Reserve It, 4WKS Coffee has seen steady growth in their subscription base—driven entirely by word of mouth, organic discovery, and a tightly knit community of coffee lovers.

We rely on organic growth right now. No paid ads. Just community and communication. And we still get new subscriptions coming in every month.

The growth has also translated into more efficient internal operations. The 4WKS team has seamlessly woven subscription fulfillment into their daily workflow, with dedicated dispatch days and improved team coordination.

We bookmarked the 14th and 29th for subscriptions. Initially, we could fulfill in under an hour. Now it takes longer because we're growing—which is a good problem to have.

What's Brewing Next at 4WKS?​

Looking ahead, 4WKS is gearing up for a fresh wave of innovation—both in the roasters they collaborate with and in the products they offer. The team is reimagining their collective lineup and preparing to launch a new product that will expand their subscription offerings even further.

We're exploring new mixes, new roasters, and a new product that'll hopefully be available on subscription. Big changes are coming.

What Other South African Brands Can Learn​

4WKS Coffee's journey offers several valuable lessons for other South African ecommerce retailers considering subscriptions. First, product-market fit matters—as Courtney puts it, "Your product mix is most important. It's about selling what customers actually want to buy on a recurring basis." Second, UX and presentation can make or break conversion. Making it easy to build boxes or buy in bulk helped guide 4WKS customers smoothly into the subscription experience. And third, delivery speed matters. Quick and dependable fulfillment keeps customers coming back.

Finally, their experience highlights the advantage of working with a local partner who understands the South African context—from billing concerns, partnerships with South African Payment Providers, to communication styles. With Reserve It, 4WKS found more than a platform—they found a partner who could evolve with them.

About Reserve It​

Meeting the Reserve It team was a really direct way of figuring out subscriptions. And yeah, that was really great to find you guys.

Reserve It is a South African-built subscription management platform designed specifically for local ecommerce businesses. Unlike international tools, Reserve It gives you direct access to the founders and developers, deep understanding of the local payment ecosystem, rapid implementation tailored to your needs, and ongoing support from a team that understands your market.

Ready to turn one-time buyers into loyal subscribers? Book a demo with the founders and let's build your subscription engine—built for South African growth.

Book a demo