Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kemi Kemi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kemi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

This is an exciting time for us to be in business. Studies show that 52% of millennials said their consumption of mocktail and alcohol free drinks has increased. This increase is expected to grow annually by 5% from now till 2027. More millennials and Gen Z’s are seeking alcohol free drinks at social gatherings which puts SOBA Hibiscus at the center of this demand. Our brand is positioned to serve as an alternative option for those who want a delicious and healthy drink that can also be dressed in a fancy style at social events. This is why we exist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My specialty and passion lies in Food and Finance. I studied Accounting and Entrepreneurship in college. During my second year of college, I launched SOBA Hibiscus. It wasn’t always called SOBA Hibiscus but that’s a story for another time. My love for food and my Nigerian culture led me to brewing a famous drink I grew up drinking as a child in Nigeria. During my journey of building a hibiscus tea brand, I learnt so much about the health benefits such as being high in antioxidants and caffeine free. I spent months perfecting the flavors of each product to elevate the taste buds of the drinker without losing the true essence of what hibiscus tastes like. Me and my business partner were able to come up with three refreshing flavors that catered to a variety of audience. We have Smooth Ginger, Tropical Pineapple, and Classic, each carrying a different flavor profile. We find that many of our customers are seeking a refreshing drink that’s good for you and also tastes good. We also find that people are also more interested in the founder story being authentically rooted in the brands they carry. Being authentically consistent in sharing our roots is what we are all about and we hope to empower others to share their cultures. I strongly believe that beverages are expressions of beautiful cultures and places and that’s the kind of energy we bring to SOBA Hibiscus. Since I started this business in 2017, I am so amazed at the kind of impact our drink has had on people’s lives. I’ve had people write to me or personally tell me that our drinks helped their cramps or that the ginger tea helped their digestion. Our products have also introduced people to the wonders of the hibiscus flower and how versatile it is. I’m most proud about our partnership with the Slidell Food Pantry. Every year, we donate 2% of our sales biannually to help in areas that lack easy access to fresh groceries. If there is anything I’d want you to remember about SOBA Hibiscus is “balance”. We focus on empowering our customers to live a balanced life and know that “it’s what’s inside that matters.”

How’d you meet your business partner?

My first co-founder was actually my mom. Then I added a classmate of mine from my entrepreneur class, but then covid was hard on us as a team. This caused our attention to be focused elsewhere. I’m a persistent person so I wasn’t going to give up on SOBA Hibiscus just because of covid. I had an honest conversation with both of my business partners and they mutually agreed to step down. For a few months it was just me running the business with help from friends and my brother just like when I first started. My mom still continues to support me in her own way. There’s this famous African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.” I want SOBA Hibiscus to be a community effort. At the back of my mind I searched for a new co-founder because I knew this business is not something that I want to do on my own. I prayed about it and continued to run my business. One day, I was moving some of my finished products into our storage room at the commercial kitchen and I ran into this guy – Stephan, who was helping other food ventures. I introduced myself and gave him and his team a sample of my product. Stephan drank a sip and was immediately sold. He asked if he could help and I welcomed it because as a startup you always need help somewhere. He shared his food experience, assisted me at farmers markets, and ran production runs with me. Stephan had a great work ethic, grit, and knowledge of production that helped cut production time in half. I needed him on my team. I’m grateful to say that the rest is history, Stephan is now an active co-founder at SOBA Hibiscus.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I started making hibiscus teas in my apartment kitchen. Once the demand for SOBA Hibiscus grew, I had to move to a commercial kitchen (located at my alumni University) to produce. It was a learning curve using the commercial kitchen facilities because there was little help navigating the space but with the help of other business owners I was able to quickly learn. I also learnt a lot from the student workers who would help other founders. In the food space, someone who manufactures your product is called a co-packer. We have a co-packer that can take our larger orders while we use the commercial kitchen for our smaller orders. One of the biggest lessons manufacturing has taught me is the mindset of scalability. If you can’t increase your velocity without losing your taste profile then it’s time to go back to the drawing board to reformulate your product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sobahibiscus.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobahibiscus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sobahibiscus

Image Credits
Image of me (credit: Brian Baiamonte) Product Images (credit: Taylor Rega)