Hello world of conscious consumers, tea lovers, do-gooders, and curious friends!
Thank you for checking out our first ever blog.
I’ll dive straight into why we’re here, and the exciting reason is that today is our FIRST day of our crowdfunding campaign!
Why did we decide to launch this campaign now?
We can start with an obvious one: COVID-19. We have built our entire business from scratch, starting from blending teas and packing tea bags on our dining table at home, to building a factory and employing 15 women, to visiting farms across Tanzania and developing relationships with them, to working on sales, product development, and marketing. We really thought 2020 was going to be our year – who didn’t!? This year, we were supposed to recover our start-up capital, grow in new markets in Europe and beyond, and finally invest in that tea packaging machine that will upscale our entire business!
But, COVID-19. This year we did what we could to survive, and we have thankfully made it through. This crowdfunding campaign is our light at the end of the tunnel of 2020.
The next reason: No investors.
To all those start-ups in Africa and beyond that hear of hundreds of impact investments, grants and angel investors – we have met them, we love them as people, but it may not work out so don’t spend all your time on them. We have spent maybe 10% of our time seeking investment, and the other 90% focusing on building traction. Maybe that’s why we have not secured investors. Or maybe it’s that ‘venture capitalists’ – whose main purpose is to provide seed financing for small businesses – have ridiculous requirements like a minimum of $1,000,000 annual revenue. We have had this response from investors in several.different.instances. As a result, we are self-financed. Hence, this crowdfunding campaign: taking matters into our own hands. Rather, keeping matters in our hands. Sawa, see you investors on the flip side.
Our last (and massive) reason: Spreading our story!
Kazi Yetu, the philosophy behind it, our approach, each detail on our branding and packaging, every content on our platforms, all our relationships and conversations – everything is for creating more economic growth in Tanzania. Both of us have worked with micro-businesses, farmers, women entrepreneurs, and policymakers in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and beyond, and as a result we designed Kazi Yetu to do what we think is needed to have a sustainable, long-lasting, equitable impact.
How can you help?
- Buy our perks for your family, friends, and colleagues
- Share our crowdfunding campaign on your social media and in your networks
- Send us ideas and we are always open to feedback
Thank you and stay tuned!
With love,
Hendrik & Tahira
