We recently connected with Zoey Best and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Zoey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
From a very young age my parents taught me that I could succeed at anything I put my mind to, and that they would support me every step of the way. They told me that I could accomplish anything I wanted… and I believed them! When we decided to start our business in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, I knew that we wouldn’t fail simply because I wouldn’t allow it. The confidence they instilled in me has made me the successful entrepreneur that I am today.
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?
We founded Da Kine’s Kava in 2018 after quitting our jobs and deciding we wanted to work for ourselves. We moved back to my hometown, where we realized that Durham, NC was missing the alternative bar scene that we had grown to know and love while living in Hawaii, Florida, and Wilmington, NC. “Da Kine” is a Hawaiian Pidgin word that can stand for anything or anyone, and our goal at Da Kine’s was to make alcohol alternatives more accessible to anyone and everyone. We started with our own bottled kava supplement, and eventually progressed to our own kava bar with different non-alcoholic herbal alternatives. Our wide variety of options allows us to provide an individualized experience for each customer, so that we can bring people together from all walks of life.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partner is my husband! Many people warned us about going into business together, and we continue to prove them wrong. We met in a work environment, and immediately knew that we worked very well together. We balance each other and respect each other for our different strengths and weaknesses.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
We have deliberately created an inclusive and supportive environment within our business, and we keep morale up by making sure we include all of our employees in that. We don’t ask any of our employees to do anything that we wouldn’t be willing to do ourselves. Especially in the service industry, “workers” are a dime-a-dozen, and often treated that way. We don’t treat our employees like “workers,” we treat them like humans with needs and emotions. We take care of our team, and in return they take care of us and love working for our business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dakineskava.com
- Instagram: @dakineskavadurham
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DakinesKavaDurham
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoey-best-da-kines/
- Twitter: @dakineskava
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/da-kines-kava-durham
- Other: We’re on TikTok! @dakineskava
Image Credits
Stacey Sprenz