Ethiopian coffee experience

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amar Mohammed, founder of Helmora Coffee Inc., located in North York, Ontario, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are Helmora coffee, connecting coffee lovers with the best quality coffee sourced from the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia. We identify ourselves as the true definition of Ethiopian coffee in every aspect.

Tell us about yourself

So what first got me to this business is very unique to me. I moved to Canada 3 years ago. Since I was 12 years old, I have wanted to run my own bus business. I guess this mentally came from working in my father's shop at that early age, not as the owner's son, but as an employee. So when I moved to Canada for some time, I always wanted to start my own business, but things weren't easy. It was a very different culture of opening a business from where I'm from, Ethiopia. So I started working a full-time job, different types of jobs, till I figured out how.

Long story short, I noticed that every morning I buy coffee from different coffee shops. And having to wait in line to get a cup of coffee while you were in a hurry, which is way irritating for me because I didn't want to be late for work. So I started making my own coffee at home since my mom has whole Ethiopian beans every time, which is common in any Ethiopian family's home as far as I know. And I also watch my mom selling very small quantities of coffee to the people she knows, like friends and neighbors in her circles. I watched her getting some calls if she had green beans every time. I noticed, and that stuck in my mind for weeks and months, giving it more attention. Then I started researching. Doing more research knowing that where I'm from is the birthplace of coffee, knowing that Ethiopian coffee is the one of best quality in the world, plus learning to differentiate the taste of quality coffee made me in love.

So in my mind, I took this as a big opportunity to remember that some of my family from back home are in this coffee industry. This is like connecting the dots. Then I acted upon it immediately and created a coffee company focusing on importing grade 1 quality coffee from Ethiopia and delivering roasted, ground, and green beans right to your door.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as an owner was getting amazing responses from customers every time I got reviews. More than anything, because that was a dream come true, watch people pleased by our products and services, which started as a very small business and now turned into a corporation.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing as an owner was finding the right team that would adapt to the culture of Helmora coffee company. Mainly we focus or empathize on making sure our coffee lovers are pleased in any way possible in their purchase in all aspects( it might be in quality controlling or fast deliveries).We are committed to satisfying our coffee lovers and helping them experience the definition of buying coffee from the birthplace of coffee. It starts from the moment they see our website till they take a sip of the incredible taste of Ethiopian coffee.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Dream big, start small scale fast. Small steps, Great Distance. These are the guidelines we followed.

The journey from the farmers in Ethiopia, picking the beans from the white blossom tree, and to the magical moment of filling your cup with joy makes us keep going every time. We love the whole process, from picking to quality-controlled roasting. So whether you tend to try our green bean coffee or roasted beans, or different varieties of coffee (Yirgacheffe, Guji, Sidamo, Harrar), we have it all. Every coffee has the taste of heaven.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://helmoracoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helmoracoffee/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helmora_coffee/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/helmoracoffee

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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