Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

We've always been drawn to the entrepreneurial life, but with two full careers and two kids, finding the right moment seemed impossible. When we recently relocated to Sam’s hometown in Quesnel, we realized it was now or never. The goal was always to have something that meant more then just a business; we wanted to have a connection between Mat's Tanzanian roots and Sam’s roots in Quesnel. So, we dug into mat’s roots quite literally. His grandparents owned a coffee farm, and although it's no longer operational, we saw an incredible opportunity to link the deep, rich history of African coffee with our community in Quesnel. In September of last year, Sam took a spontaneous trip to the States for an intensive crash course in coffee roasting. Being the only Canadian and only women roaster, we knew our story was unique. Once home we hit the ground running. By Christmas, we had developed six unique coffee blends, launched an e-commerce site, and surprisingly landed a partnership with one of the largest and most iconic coffee shops in BC.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Quickly we formed a strong partnership with the owner of Granville’s Coffee , giving us full control over developing and supplying coffee, espresso, and managing day-to-day coffee operations. This incredible opportunity and mentorship has allowed us to learn and grow with the support and love of our community backing us up. We were also welcomed by countless other local small business, all willing to give us a try and support our dream by carrying our coffee in their stores and shops promoting our story. A big goal of ours is to share the rich culture of Tanzania with our community, introducing them to the nuances of specialty coffee and most importantly educating on where it comes from. Through our efforts, we've created a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity in our community and cultivated a richer tapestry of experiences and perspectives. We have collaborated and worked with many other smaller business in town and have been able to donate to various fundraisers and organizations.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

We believe we deserve to win because we have a distinctive story and brand that we are passionate about sharing with more people. While we have achieved significant success since our launch last year, we have ambitious goals ahead. Currently operating at half capacity, our aim is to establish a thriving business that generates a sustainable full-time business n order to do this we would need to reach a broader audience past our little community. Northern BC has big potential and loving people who are willing to support local once we get out here.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Approximately 80% of coffee is farmed by women, and nearly all of it is imported from people of colour. As a business that is part black-owned and part women-owned, we recognized an opportunity to approach our coffee business differently. First off Ethical sourcing from farms is paramount to us, as is fostering partnerships with other people of colour in the industry. From packaging to coffee importers these are things we consider at every chance we can. Ethical considerations take on a deeply personal significance when your sourcing your product from your home country. We plan to go to Tanzania next year to start to build the relationships for direct trade with locals farmers. This is the heart of the business and will allow us full control and oversight of supporting women and ethical operations. Environmental impact is another critical focus for us, acknowledging that while the coffee industry has its challenges, our small choices can contribute positively in the long run. For instance, we work with local printers for our apparel and label printing supporting our local economy and cutting out shipping completely. We are also transitioning to compostable packaging and currently offer a refillable option where customers can bring in jars for refills at our roastery. A large part of our volume is wholesale and we are able to transport our local wholesale coffee in re-usable buckets. These steps reflect our commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.