We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zainab (z) Annan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zainab (Z) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

My business started because of my younger cousin. I remember getting her phone call a week before Thanksgiving in 2022. She was excited and said that it was time for me to stop procrastinating and that she had an opportunity for me.

She had been hired to cater for the Ghanian Embassy at the United Nations in NYC for their annual holiday party. She planned on handing out gift bags to the attendees and wanted to not only use some of my spice blends to cook with but add them to the bags as souvenirs. The party was 3 weeks away when she called me and I was skeptical about being able to meet the demands of what she needed.

At the time she called me my spice business was just an actual idea that I spoke about. It was during Covid and my husband and I had moved from Florida to Tennessee.

The idea came to fruition when I realized how many places there were to eat but many of the foods we tried lacked flavor. Many of the markets here also lacked many of the products that we were used to being able to purchase. I would hear many people also complain that they couldn’t afford to eat out and the options to season their food were slim because many of the brands that were available were full of salt and no actual flavor.

I have been mixing spices since I was 6 yrs old. It’s the first thing my mom taught me about cooking. One thing that has always stuck with me that she said is that if I know how to cook, I will never go broke. Fast forward to now meeting the deadline that my cousin had. She refused to take no for an answer so I agreed. She needed enough of my blends to add to 100 gift bags. I got off the phone with her and realized I didn’t even have the money to get the job done.

I had to wait a week to get paid from work, which cut my time in half for my actual production. During that week of waiting I started my blueprint. I first had to come up with a name.. Everyone that I asked for inspiration from said to call it Zz’s.. Zz is my nickname from birth. I didn’t like it and it was just plain. I spoke with my Uncle(whom just passed away a few weeks ago) and he felt the same way I did. He also out of all the family did not call me Zz but Zed Zed. Zed Zed is still the same as Zz however it’s how they would pronounce it from Ghana. He said I should call it Zed Zed’s Kitchen and I loved it! Had a nice ring to it and it still was true to my name and not as plain.

Once I had my name, I began to design my logo and which spice blends I wanted to sell. I started pricing the costs of ingredients and supplies that I would need. I wanted to provide fresh products so my husband helped me to purchase a dehydrator. By the time my payday came and I was able to purchase the rest of the needed items to get started. I dehydrated many different herbs and fruits and ground them down into an all purpose seasoning. I felt like the spice wasn’t enough and wanted to have a bigger impact when sending my product so I decided to make beef jerky as well for her to add to the bags. Needless to say I was able to meet her deadline and the guests loved everything so much that I decided to take the chance and start selling locally where I live.

At that time I only had one spice blend that I sent to my cousin. I took the next 2 months to create 3 other blends and create a bundle. I knew that if I wanted to be able to recoup some of the costs of creating my products and actually making sales it had to be cost effective as well as memorable. At that time the bundle consisted of All Spized Everything All Purpose, Lemon Garlic Jalepeno Parmesan, Taco & Fajita and Batter Breading and Gravy Mix.

I started selling out of a shopping cart at my local grocery store “Priceless” whom the managers after smelling my blends were kind enough to let me stand there and sell to their customers.

Zainab (Z), before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The future goal of Zed Zed’s Kitchen is to provide affordable high-quality, locally sourced produce, meats, seafood and dairy. I will focus on low and no sodium ready to cook, heat and serve or do it yourself meals and condiments highlighting the usage of my branded products. My Branded products currently consist of Multiple Spice Blends, Soups. Butter and Sauces.

My mission is to promote healthy eating at home, saving money while not feeling like you are breaking the bank to do so. All while supporting local farmers and businesses. Zed Zeds Kitchen is a place that creates unity by food consumption. International food for the soul, where taste feels good!!

I aim to create an international community hub for food lovers of all nationalities and health-conscious consumers that are less fortunate being inclusive to recipients that are currently middle and lower income or on Snap Benefits.

I am so proud to receive the great responses from the people that have supported and used my products so far. The excitement when reading the reviews of how they can smell the blends in the packaging that it has been shipped in, or how their cholesterol or blood pressure has dropped because they are using my products. Kids are eating their dinner and veggies lol. It is an amazing feeling. I am just happy that what I aimed to do has really come to life and people are enjoying healthier meals at home. One of my greatest achievements so far is winning 2nd place in my local Chamber of Commerce Pitch Night Competition. I pitched my business plan and to know that other’s really see my vision gives me motivation. It was the fuel I needed to keep going!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me to grow my clientele and business has been more hands on interactions.

One thing that I have always hated is purchasing a product and it not meet my expectations. With my products I allow people to smell and taste depending on what it may be. You can literally smell my spices before you even approach me. By doing this it allows me to communicate with people to find out what they are lacking or looking for.

I’m able to provide insight and Ideas that can enhance their cooking experience with my products.

My goal is to also create a heavier online presence to my products in 2025. Although I do have a website, I rarely promote it because I am a one person team at the moment and didn’t want to become overwhelmed. Now that I have a handle and flow of how to produce in large numbers without becoming stressed. I’m ready to grow and this is the year to do it!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After about a year of selling my spices things began to slow down. I felt like I saturated my area with my bundles and I needed to bring the hype and excitement back to my brand. When I initially started my business my goal was to purchase a food truck.

After interacting with so many people and realizing that due to Covid many people were unable to take their families out to eat and the area is saturated with food trucks and restaurants my focus changed.

I didn’t want to be another food truck or restaurant that only had specific menu items. I want people of all cultures and backgrounds to have the opportunity to eat not just their native foods but experience the cultures of others.

Realistically for me being a victim of identity theft a few times getting funding would be difficult to bring this idea of the food truck to fruition. It was then that my back up plan started to feel more real. Providing the tools to eat healthier at home, have leftovers and save money. My goal now has now changed to opening a Market with all my own products. From spices to condiments and everything you can think of to cook at home, I want to be a provider for it.

The fact that in small steps my dreams are becoming reality. You can find my products in 3 local stores in my area along with me now having a permanent vending space at one of my local flea markets! Slowly pacing myself and paving my way, my Fresh Food Market will definitely happen one day!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.zed-zeds-kitchen.com
• Instagram: Zed_Zeds_Kitchen
• Facebook: Zed_Zeds_Kitchen
• Yelp: Zed_Zeds_Kitchen