Superfood Made From Coffee Cherries

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Simon Roca, Founder, and CEO of Kogofoods, located in Phoenix, AZ, USA.

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

Using sustainable direct trade sourcing methods, Kogo is taking a byproduct of coffee processing and upcycling it into a healthy superfood, providing small-scale coffee farmers with desperately needed income, all the while protecting the environment. This byproduct is the fruit that houses the coffee bean, the coffee cherry! It has 8x the amount of antioxidants as blueberries and 2x the amount of potassium as bananas, to name just a few of its many vitamins and minerals. The coffee cherry health benefits are astounding! We created Kogo coffee cherry powder for people to use as an add-in to smoothies. Our customers are individuals who have a passion for mindful consumption and seek to incorporate superfoods into their diets that not only impact them but the world in the process.

Tell us about yourself

So I grew up working on an all-organic fruit farm owned by my family in northern Wisconsin. This eventually led me to join the Peace Corps in Panama as a Sustainable Agriculture Advisor. While I was working in the Peace Corps alongside small-scale coffee farmers, I somehow heard about the coffee cherry in a random video. I did research and found a vast array of coffee cherry benefits. After some inquiry, I discovered that most coffee farmers view coffee cherries as waste or compost. Often, the cherries are left to rot and ferment in vast quantities, leading to water pollution and releasing methane gases that harm the environment. I thought about how the majority of small-scale coffee farmers around the world are actually paid pennies on the dollar for the product of their labor, while a few select large coffee companies hold an oligopoly over most of the market, raking in profits. An idea started to take hold within me. I realized that if I could put together a product to sell to consumers, it could help supplement farmers’ incomes reduce the environmental pollution from fermented cherry waste, and also offer consumers in the U.S. an extremely valuable product at an affordable price. And so it was that Kogo came to be! Long story short, staying true to this social and environmental impact opportunity is what motivates me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner would be sticking through it all. The mistakes, the drama, the exasperation, and incessant workload. I pride myself on developing a business that makes the world a better place and whose impact has a sum larger than its parts.

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

For me, personally, it is finding a balance between work and life. I find it very hard to shut off my mind and focus on things other than the business. It is a true challenge of character, discipline, and mental and emotional stamina. The roller coaster of emotions and events that happen each day often threaten to derail my routine, schedule, and time for others.

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

The first tip I would give to anyone looking to start is to make sure they do a full evaluation of themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses, health, and relationships, and have a five-year plan. It is so important people know what they are getting themselves into. Starting and growing a business often requires a 50-70 hour per week commitment without getting paid, and not everyone is cut out for that type of battle.

The second tip I would give is to make sure the business is aligned with your values and provides fulfillment. It has to be a product or service that you are naturally passionate about; otherwise, you will have nothing to fuel you on the hard days, and trust me, there will be many.

The third tip I would give is to invest time in health and wellness routines. E.g., doing yoga, running, dieting, mediation, etc. The stress the business development creates is no joke. It will take a toll on your body and mind. You need to be physically and mentally prepared, just like running a marathon, only the marathon is a five-year race, and you are your competition.

Don’t get me wrong, starting a business is not the hardest thing in the world, nor is it all bleak and dreary. Certainly, starting a business will teach anyone about recognizing the yin and the yang. The incredible feeling of pride, fulfillment, and passion that entrepreneurship stimulates completely neutralizes those hard days. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster filled with incredible highs and scary lows. If you are up for the excitement and embracing the risk, then strap in; it’s going to be a wild ride!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://kogofoods.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kogofoods/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kogofoods/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kogofoods/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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