Look at your immediate environment – An interview with Emi-Beth Aku Oyemam Quantson

An interview with Ghanaian entrepreneur Emi-Beth Aku Oyemam Quantson, a Startup Cup Ghana winner

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

My name is Emi-Beth Aku Oyemam Quantson. I am a Chartered Accountant with over 7 years experience working with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Ghana and Kenya as a tax consultant and then with then startups the African Leadership Network, Impact Business Leaders and the Cobalt Partners.

As far back as when I was in University, at Ashesi, I dreamed of starting a coffee shop as a place where people could relax, read a book, strike up conversations with strangers and just take a breath from the daily troubles of the world. That dream translated into a canteen, which I ran on Ashesi campus for 2 years starting in my final year. 6 years later, I have revisited the idea but on a larger scale. I am working towards a chain of coffee shops across West Africa that will not only provide locally relevant snacks and light meals but will also empower economically disadvantaged women through training and employment.

As an entrepreneur and innovator of the Kawa Moka brand, what are some of the highlights of your job?

A major highlight of my job is working with women and young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. It feels very rewarding to be involved in their training and development. Kawa Moka is committed to empowering women as pillars in families and in the economy.

Another highlight of my job is product innovation. For example, we just developed a fresh banana based iced espresso that everyone loves.

How would you describe the entrepreneurship landscape in Ghana?

As a new entrant into entrepreneurship I find the landscape refreshing and vibrant. There are a number of pitch competitions such as Startup Cup that provide opportunities for financial support and mentoring which are key for entrepreneurial success. These entrepreneurial events also provide opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs, be inspired by their concepts and drive and in some cases, even form lasting friendships.

One of your focuses is producing coffee and other beverages. Could you elaborate on that and share some tips?

Kawa is an Arabic word that literally translates into “wine of the bean” that is, coffee and Moka is a reference to the coffee drink with a cocoa base, together our name Kawa Moka illustrates our love for coffee and chocolate which is what we are all about.

Kawa Moka is committed to providing high quality coffee and cocoa products to our target market. We believe that there is a lot of opportunity to create bespoke products made from Ghana’s own cocoa and coffee. Our long-term aim is to commoditize and create a viable ecosystem for processing and adding value to cocoa and coffee.

Where can we find out more about your work?

We have established our first shop at Impact Hub Accra and you can step in from Mondays to Fridays from 7am till 5pm for our delicious coffees, hot chocolate, burgers and waffles. We are a pop up coffee shop so expect to find us at food / business fairs and a few corporate locations shortly.

Find us on instagram and twitter as kawa_moka and on facebook as kawa moka and visit our website www.kawamoka.com for more information on finding us .

Ellaborate on some of the challenges you faced and give a clue on how you overcame them.

A major challenge was transitioning from a consulting job into a highly operational job in a different sector. I had to learn a lot very fast including prices of items in the market, recipes for our products, suppliers and industry norms. To overcome this challenge, I attended conferences, spoke to industry experts and partnered with our Director of Culinary Innovations who has over 30 years experience in the industry.

Another major challenge is the general lack of infrastructural support for entrepreneurs at the macro level in Ghana, which complicates the entrepreneurship landscape. Starting a business with erratic power support, high rents and interest rates and a devalued cedi have made the journey the more challenging.

To overcome these problems we have had to be strategic with our locations and business model, partnering with organisations that have existing alternative power supplies and understand our business model. We have also explored alternative means of finance outside of bank loans. Customers are a source of finance that a lot of entrepreneurs overlook when assessing funding options. Knock on doors, go from venue to venue sell your products and find an efficient way to produce them.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs out there looking to launch products or services they are passionate about?

I read a lot and there is a lot of information out there in books and on the internet that have helped with everything from creating our business model, to identifying training material and developing sales and marketing strategies. I would advise people to read more.

I would also advise entrepreneurs in beginning the journey, to look at their immediate environment to identify what resources are available and to build on that foundation as rapidly as possible.

It’s dispel a stereotype time. What’s a stereotype about Ghana that’s false?

I was recently featured by the US Embassy Ghana as part of Global Entrepreneurship week. One of the comments in response to the post was “sounds like an impressive resume than the typical hustle of an entrepreneur.” There is a stereotype in Ghana that entrepreneurs are people who are not educated, have no work experience and have no other options but to become entrepreneurs to survive. There is also a perception that the main talent of entrepreneurs is sales and marketing because they convince you to buy products you may not want or need. As an entrepreneur, there are various skill sets you need including accounting and strategy. Also, entrepreneurship is fast becoming a choice that leads to large sustainable businesses– an avenue to build up on our more traditional mom and pop (sole proprietorship) businesses.

How do you use your experience with accelerators like the Startup Cup to support your business?

My experience with Startup Cup was nothing short of transformational. Startup Cup provided a platform for me to test my ideas and gain support. As a result of my participation, I have had Nancy Glaser of Stanford SEED take interest in my business and volunteer her time and knowledge in helping me firm up the business model for expansion and growth. David Kwaku Sakyi who was also a judge on the panel generously offered to do my food photography for a year and followed up with a visit to our location at Impact Hub Accra to scope and set a date for our first photography session. The third judge on the panel Klenam Fiadzoe, also offered to provide assistance with Kawa Moka’s social media presence. It was nothing short of amazing to have all three judges actively involved and invested in my business success beyond the panel.

The other advantage of the Startup Cup is the exposure which for me is significant not because people get to know you but because it provides an avenue to inspire people to venture into entrepreneurship and also incorporate social impact into their business models. You don’t just need to have a for-profit business you can have a business with a human face and still be successful.

I am looking forward to the next stage of the Startup Cup where I get to compete with other African ideas and network with other markets.

Interview provided by Emmanuel Nyame, an Africa.co Fellow