Coffee has a long history in Africa, and up to 90% of the country’s coffee labor is done by women. However, the workers are not compensated fairly and Margaret Nyamumbo is looking to change this with Kahawa 1893! On Shark Tank, she closed a deal with Emma Grede. Lately, Kahawa 1893 is worth an estimated $5 million.
Margaret Nyamumbo’s Background
Margaret Nyamumbo is a Kenyan native, her grandfather was one of the first native farmers allowed to grow coffee by British settlers. In 2007, she moved to the US and got an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Not long after, she worked on Wall Street at an investment bank. Nyamumbo got her entrepreneurial drive there when she struggled to find authentic Kenyan coffee and worked with companies like Starbucks and Nestle.
She researched how these corporations and discovered that many of them get raw materials from Africa. Eventually, Margaret returned to Kenya and worked at the World Bank. This helped her understand the African market better.
Founding Kahawa 1893
Nyamumbo concluded that African farmers and international firms were not directly connected. The fact that 90% of the labor is provided by women and they only own 1% of the land, wasn’t given enough attention.
This led her to quit a high-paying job, find a mentor, and start a coffee company. She chose to promote Kenyan coffee, which grows in volcanic soil and goes through a procedure called double fermentation to produce a unique flavor.
In 2017, she made history by launching Kahawa 1893. “Kahawa” means coffee in Margaret’s mother tongue, Swahili, while 1893 is the year that coffee was first commercialized in her home country.
Getting on Shark Tank
Kahawa 1893 was the first Black woman-owned coffee line to get into Trader Joe’s. It also gained a reputation for donating a portion of its revenue to female coffee workers in Africa.
More established retail chains picked up her products and she got covered by publications like Forbes, TastingTable, and New York Magazine. To expand operations, Margaret Nyamumbo needed to raise capital and was keen to bring on a Shark.
She grabbed a spot on season 14 and delivered a passionate pitch in colorful attire. It was refreshing to see an entrepreneur not just looking to make a profit. Despite this, she came in with a valuation of $7 million!
After Shark Tank
The episode aired in February 2023, the publicity drove a huge boost in sales for Kahawa 1893. On social media, fans of the show loved the entrepreneur’s passion! Since appearing on Shark Tank, Kahawa 1893 has done over $7 million in sales.
According to CNBC, the deal with Emma Grede closed a few months after the show. Nyamumbo told CNBC “It’s been an amazing relationship, and it’s been life-changing for the business.” As of September 2024, people have given $45,000 in tips to support Kenyan farmers.
If you’re interested in buying one of their products, Kahawa 1893 are available in Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Target and The Fresh Market. Also, when you buy in-store, you can scan a QR code and send a tip directly to a farmer’s e-wallet.
The coffee brand is now sold in over 1,100 locations across the US. They can be bought online through Amazon and their website, Kahawa1893.com. The company offers a subscription so loyal customers can save 10% on each order.
Their bestselling product on Amazon is the Kenyan Single Origin blend, which has an average star rating of 4.2 from 144 customers. The business is currently worth an estimated $5 million.
