The Coffee Entrepreneur Series: Boon Coffee

Elevated Entrepreneur Podcast

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In today’s episode, I speak to Orit Mohammed, founder of Boon Coffee. After finishing her Masters of Arts in Economic Development in the United States, Orit spent a few years working for some international organizations. In 2008, after getting married to a fellow Harrar native, she moved to Dubai where she and her husband continued to establish their business in the UAE and start a family. After having three children and raising them for a couple of years, she decided to reconnect with the coffee culture she grew up with.

Boon Coffee, a company that started off as a “one roasting machine and a box of cups” now supports thousands of coffee farmers based in Ethiopia. Orit’s decision to source Ethiopian coffee - arguably the best coffee harvest in the world and geographically very close to the UAE - formed a strong link between hardworking farmers and consumers who are very particular about the source of what they consume. The company recently added a B2C component to their business by introducing two cafes in Dubai.

Orit loves being in Dubai and is proud of her product as well as a brand that has traveled not only through the GCC but also all the way to Europe and the United States. In this episode, she walks us through the challenges and stereotypes she’s had to confront as a result of being an Ethiopian female entrepreneur.

Visit the episode page for full show notes, transcription, links to resources mentioned - https://elevatedentrepreneur.fm/13

章

1. Why Orit moved from the US to Ethiopia and then to Dubai (00:00:00)

2. How she got into the coffee industry (00:13:10)

3. Gaining exposure in the coffee market and landing her first big deal (00:16:00)

4. Where Orit’s confidence for the coffee business stems from (00:29:00)

5. The very first “NO” that Orit got (00:35:00)

6. How Corona affected business (00:36:25)

7. Plans to open cafes in other parts of the world (00:47:10)

8. Orit’s biggest challenge that she’s had to overcome (00:47:45)

9. The source of inspiration (00:50:14)

10. An important lesson for someone that’s just starting (00:56:35)

11. Does Orit have any regrets as far as the business is concerned? (00:59:21)