Today we’d like to introduce you to Awah Chai.
Hi Awah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from West Africa, Cameroon, where I grew up drinking primarily tea, then came 2019 where I immigrated to the US and had my first encounter with coffee, I loved the aroma it gave off, a lot friends and coworkers drank it daily, so I just had to try it for myself, which I did. But from a tea drinker’s perspective, I was left a little disappointed. Yes, it smelled great, it also gave me a boost of energy but on the downside, it was too bitter, I crashed bad, and because of the added sugars, it just was unhealthy. From there on, I started working on ways to craft coffee which is healthier, crash-free, and can be enjoyed by both coffee and tea drinkers. OFFWORLD coffee is made by infusing single-origin arabica coffee with cold-pressed fruits and teas like hibiscus and green tea. It took me a year to get the formulation right and also achieve shelf stability, I remember doing a lot of different mixtures and combinations in my apartment complex, and some of my roommates thought I was going insane haha. Once I was sure I had a working formulation, I then had coworkers and friends, both coffee and tea drinkers, try it out, and they all loved it. I got feedback like how smooth it taste, it wasn’t too bitter, tasted fruity, and they felt energized without getting wired. Today I sell our concentrates online; they come in 8oz glass bottles and in 3 different fruit infusions watermelon, pineapple, and apple, and you only need one tablespoon to make your favorite cup of coffee hot or cold; we also do farmers markets, and in the coming year we plan to launch a physical location and showcase new coffee products we are currently working on. OFFWORLD coffees’ journey hasn’t been smooth sailing, but I have learnt a lot, and I see bigger things in the future.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There were a lot obstacles along the way; with no knowledge about the coffee industry, I had to do a lot of studying and research; being an immigrant, it took me a couple of months to fully adapt to my new environment and figure out how things work. Even after I achieved product market fit, I couldn’t raise the necessary funds to do mass production and hire qualified persons to work with, so I had to do everything on my own, from marketing to sales to deliveries; it’s been a one-man show.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I majored in computer engineering, but I dropped out my junior year in college in order to fully focus on building OFFWORLD COFFEE. -I have been a participant of HULT prize
-The winner of the 2023 Pitch It Texas competition hosted by Cynthia Nevels foundation and Dallas College
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I have always loved being creative and finding new solutions which will impact the life’s of people, I am at my happiest when I see my creations come to life, and people love it and appreciate it.
Pricing:
- 30
- 31
Contact Info:
- Website: https://offworld-coffee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offworld_coffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/offworldcoffee
Image Credits
Kaitlyn
