Transparency, Compliance and Accountability at Rescue Roast®

Doing Things the Right Way

At Rescue Roast®, we understand that consumers are increasingly cautious about online businesses, cause-related marketing, and product quality — and rightly so.

The internet has made it easier than ever to start an online store, but it has also made it easier for dishonest operators to mislead consumers.

That is why we believe that transparency, compliance, and accountability are essential parts of our business.

We welcome genuine questions about our products and operations, and we believe our customers deserve clear and accurate information about how Rescue Roast® operates.

Rescue Roast® Is a Registered South African Business

Rescue Roast® operates through a legally registered South African company and conducts business in accordance with the laws and regulations applicable to its operations.

These may include, among others:

The Consumer Protection Act
The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act
The Protection of Personal Information Act
Applicable South African tax legislation
Applicable food safety and consumer regulations

We maintain business records, policies, and procedures appropriate to our operations and review them as legal and operational requirements develop.

Secure Online Shopping

Customer trust is extremely important to us.

Our online store uses Stitch as its online payment service provider.

Stitch provides secure payment-processing technology that enables customers to complete payments using the payment options made available at checkout.

Sensitive payment information is processed through specialised payment systems and is not manually collected or stored by Rescue Roast®.

Customers should always confirm that they are shopping on the official Rescue Roast® website and should never provide payment information through unsolicited messages, unofficial links, or unverified third parties.

Trademark Protection

Rescue Roast® is a registered trademark in South Africa.

Trademark registration is obtained through a formal legal process and provides protection for our brand and intellectual property.

Our trademark registration reflects our long-term commitment to building and protecting a legitimate and sustainable South African business.

Product Quality and Food Safety

Rescue Roast® does not roast or package its coffee at its own premises.

Our coffee is roasted and professionally packaged by established South African coffee suppliers before it reaches Rescue Roast®.

We rely on our suppliers to maintain the food-safety, hygiene, quality-control, and operational requirements applicable to their activities.

This means that:

Our coffee is roasted by established coffee suppliers.
Products are professionally packaged before arriving at Rescue Roast®.
Rescue Roast® does not open or repack sealed coffee products before supplying them to customers.
Customers receive professionally packaged products sourced through established suppliers.

We believe this approach supports consistency, product quality, and responsible handling throughout the supply process.

Privacy and Data Protection

We take customer privacy seriously.

Personal information collected through our website is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable South African privacy legislation.

Customer information may be used for legitimate business purposes such as:

Processing and fulfilling orders
Arranging the delivery of products
Providing customer support
Preventing fraud and maintaining transaction security
Maintaining legally required business records
Complying with applicable legal obligations

We do not sell customer personal information to third parties.

Information may, where necessary, be shared with service providers involved in activities such as payment processing, order fulfilment, website operation, and courier delivery, subject to applicable privacy requirements.

Consumer Rights

We support the rights afforded to South African consumers under applicable consumer-protection legislation.

Customers are entitled to fair dealing, clear and accurate information, and access to the remedies and procedures applicable to their transactions.

Depending on the nature of the transaction and the applicable law, this may include:

Honest and accurate product information
Fair and responsible business practices
Clear pricing and transaction information
Reasonable access to customer-support channels
Access to applicable refund, return, and complaint procedures

Not every product or transaction is subject to the same cancellation, return, or refund rules. Requests are considered in accordance with the nature of the product, the circumstances of the transaction, our published policies, and applicable South African law.

We periodically review our website, policies, and procedures to help ensure that they remain appropriate for our business and aligned with applicable requirements.

Our Rescue Partner Programme

One of the core reasons Rescue Roast® exists is to build meaningful and sustainable commercial partnerships with animal welfare and rescue organisations.

Rescue Roast® does not collect donations from customers through its online store. Customers purchase products from Rescue Roast® at the advertised retail price.

Participating rescue organisations may earn a contractually agreed commission on qualifying sales attributed to their organisation.

This is a commercial commission arrangement between Rescue Roast® and the relevant rescue partner. It is not a consumer donation, charitable contribution, or donation collected through our checkout.

We maintain records relating to qualifying sales, commission calculations, and payments made under our rescue partner agreements.

The individual commission rates, commercial terms, margins, and contractual arrangements applicable to rescue partners remain confidential between Rescue Roast® and the relevant organisation.

Participating rescue organisations remain independent entities and are responsible for their own management, governance, operations, finances, and activities.

We believe that rescue partnerships should be administered responsibly, accurately, sustainably, and with integrity.

Transparency Does Not Require the Publication of Private Contracts

We believe in being clear about the nature of the Rescue Roast® business and rescue partner programme.

Customers are entitled to know what they are purchasing, the price of the product, and the general nature of the programme being promoted.

Transparency does not, however, mean that Rescue Roast® must voluntarily publish its margins, supplier pricing, commission rates, rescue partner agreements, or other private commercial information.

Any properly submitted statutory request will be considered in accordance with applicable South African law and the appropriate formal process.

The submission of a request does not automatically mean that confidential commercial information must be disclosed.

Questions, Complaints and Formal Processes

We understand that consumers may wish to ask questions before supporting a business.

We encourage respectful and constructive engagement and will assist with genuine enquiries where reasonably possible.

Questions that have already been answered in our published articles, policies, or PAIA Manual may be referred back to those resources rather than answered repeatedly.

Rescue Roast® is not obliged to repeatedly debate its business model, contractual arrangements, margins, commission structures, or internal commercial decisions through social-media comments, private messages, or informal online exchanges.

Repeated demands for confidential information, speculative allegations, unsupported accusations, or attempts to conduct public investigations through our social-media platforms will not receive ongoing responses.

Anyone who genuinely believes that Rescue Roast® has contravened an applicable legal, consumer-protection, advertising, privacy, or access-to-information requirement may use the formal process available through the appropriate regulatory or oversight body.

Rescue Roast® will respond appropriately to legitimate enquiries received through authorised formal processes.

Our Commitment

Our commitment remains simple:

Quality products
Clear and honest communication
Responsible business practices
Respect for consumer rights
Protection of customer information
Sustainable commercial partnerships with animal rescue organisations

We will continue to improve our systems, policies, and operations as the business grows.

We will remain transparent about the nature of our business and rescue partner programme while protecting the private commercial information that Rescue Roast® and its partners are entitled to keep confidential.

Thank you to every customer, supporter, rescue partner, volunteer, foster parent, and animal lover who continues to support Rescue Roast®.

Your trust matters to us, and we remain committed to earning it through our actions.

Rescue Roast®
Amazing coffee. Meaningful partnerships. Every Cup Helps a Pup.®