Welcome to the FLOURYSH 5 - where we introduce shoppers to new and blooming black-owned brands! Today we interviewed the founder of Kahawa 1893, Margaret Nyamumbo.
Kahawa 1893 is an African coffee brand that recently made history by becoming the first Black female-owned coffee brand to be carried in Trader Joe’s across the country.
We spent five good minutes with Margaret, who shared her vision for Kawaha 1893 and female empowerment.
Enter the #FLO:
So glad you're here with us! This is a fast moving interview so let's get straight to our first question. Tell us, what makes your coffee so special?
Thanks Letisha for having me. I'm so excited to be here and to talk a little bit more about the brand.
So, Kahawa 1893 is an African coffee brand. Kahawa means coffee in Swahili and we started from women farmers in Africa and give back to support. This brand is so special to me because I actually grew up on a coffee farm in Kenya. And as you know, coffee is originally from Africa. So, Kahawa is all about elevating the role of African coffee in the market and to empower women farmers who are producing it.
And your mission is really special. It's empowering women through coffee. How did you come up with that mission? Why is that special to you?
That's very special to me because, growing up on the coffee farm in Kenya, one thing that I noticed was the majority of the labor on the coffee farm, about 90% of the labor, is provided by women, but they own less than 1% of the land.
So when I decided to start the coffee company, I was working on Wall Street at the time when I decided to stop. I wanted to make sure that we found a way to support these women farmers. We came up with a way of tipping the farmers. So on our bag, you'll see a QR code and that's a very, very special way for us to support these women farmers.
Especially because they put in a lot of hard work to produce coffee. Coffee is a very, very difficult product to produce. Women make it look easy. And right now in the market the coffee prices have been so low and this is a way for us to make sure that the women doing the work are supported.
I love that you can directly tip the actual women who are producing the coffee. I've never seen anything like that before. So I think that's so awesome. So, you are now onboard with FLOURYSH and I want to know the backstory. What attracted you to the brand?
When I came across FLOURYSH I was really excited about being on a platform where there's a community of people that are interested in supporting Black owned brands. So currently we are distributed at Trader Joe's, around the world and other national grocers. There is something special about being able to be part of this wonderful community of other Black owned brands and really celebrating Black excellence.
Black excellence! And I have to tell you that's exactly what I thought of when I saw your brand and got to know you more. You really exemplify that. I want to get to know you a little bit more Margaret. So this is kind of a quick-fire round.
How do you like your coffee?
I like my coffee medium roast. That's the perfect balance. And then I like to brew it with a French press. it gives you that bold, really strong brew.
What do you want people to feel when they sip your coffee?
I want them to feel a taste of freedom. Because that's the essence of the brand. It's not about the coffee. It's about what the coffee gives you. It's basically brewing this revolution, beyond regular coffee and being part of a larger movement. We're supporting other people around the globe, other black people around the globe and in black women in particular.
Who does not want to sit some freedom every morning!? What's something you want people to know, especially about you, the founder?
My passion. I love, love, love coffee. I love giving back to my community. That's what drives me everyday. So, something that makes me wake up in the morning is the passion to be able to be part of a wonderful community and to give back to the villages that have raised me.
We support you.We are here for you. And I cannot wait to see all the success you get here at FLOURYSH.
Thanks for having me. This was wonderful.
