One man’s push to have Banadiria Coffee Roasters carve a spot for itself at the top spot of coffee business in East Africa
East Africa, blessed by its highlands is known globally for the farming and production of tea and coffee. Kenya is known for its tea and all three (Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia) are legendary coffee producers who have traditionally supplied the beverage across the world. Somalia, though not a major coffee grower in the region, is looking to join this club. One man, Ibrahim Ali Shiddo, the CEO of Banadiria Coffee Roasters has taken it upon himself to lead this charge.
About the company, Somalia’s coffee culture, training of specialists, and the future of the industry.
What does your company do?The company operates on two levels; we source for, process, and supply coffee to various coffee houses in the country, supermarkets, and to our international clients. We also run Banadiria Coffee Roasters Training where train professionals on how to effectively run coffee houses, offer consultancy services, and train young professionals on coffee-making-related skills like brewing and extracting coffee, frothing, texturing milk, etc.
The first level of our business; sourcing, processing, and supply of coffee, how does this work?
We have a team that oversees our coffee beans acquisition wing. This team has ties to coffee growers and sellers in Columbia, Brazil, the growers and auction markets in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and India. Its work is to purchase the very best of green coffee beans from these sources and transport them home.
Once the new consignment has arrived home, we roast it, process it, package it and then supply it to our various clients.
How long has our company been doing this?Banadiria Coffee Roasters is a family-owned business. We have been in the business of coffee roasting since the 1970s. Of course, processing and packaging are aspects of the business that we introduced not too long ago.
What are our main products?We deal in traditional Somali coffee SAFA QAXWA SOMALI which is a mixture of coffee, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. Also, we process normal coffee. You must have seen Safa and Javos, these are some of our products.
WE say that our family has been in the coffee business since the 1970s. There is a period after 1990 when doing business in Somalia was almost impossible. How did our business survive this period?
Like most Somalis, we left the country in the 1990s. For example, I went to Sweden. My other siblings also went to other parts of the world. However, once we were out of Somalia, we realized that there was a large Somali Diaspora community abroad. So we decided to supply our coffee to this diaspora Somali community. We sent Somali coffee to Canada, America, Europe, Australia, and other countries with significant Somali populations.
Why we return to the country?
I returned to the country in 2012 and re-established the business. The country was getting a bit more stable compared to the previous years and most of the Somali diaspora community had started returning home. I saw in this new period of political stability, an opportunity to re-engage the country and our people. Plus, I had noticed that the coffee business and coffee culture in the country presented a good business opportunity if only we could overcome a few challenges.
Do expound on this…
When returned to the country, the coffee industry was rebuilding. The entire ecosystem of the coffee industry had collapsed; there were no coffee specialists, few reasonable coffee houses, few people who knew how to professionally operate coffee-making machines and, we didn’t have proper local sources and brands of coffee. This is what I mean by a national coffee culture that had a few challenges.
So what did we do…?
Of course, first, we set up Banadiria Coffee Roasters and started sourcing for coffee, roasting it, processing, and packaging. We also cultivated new clients in and out of the country and began making distribution and supplies. Soon, other suppliers also got into the industry, so much that right now, we have about 26 different suppliers in the country. After this aspect of the industry stabilized, we engaged the training level of the business.
One of the Banadiria Coffee Products
With Banadiria Coffee Roasters Training we started training coffee BARISTAS from across the country. We also do some consultancy work for various coffee houses, helping them run their businesses better, consulting on coffee shop set up, and advising on how to operate the equipment among other things.
Ibrahim Ali Shiddo, CEO, Banadiria Coffee Roasters
What has the training achieved so far?
Well, we started doing consultancy work and training informally at first, but from 2019, we have been official and have so far trained over 300 BARISTAS to help plug the skills gap that we have in the industry. And while some of our students are from Saudi Arabia, over 70% are Somali youth. At the moment, there is a pool from which new entrepreneurs in the coffee business can draw. We welcome those who would like to set up in the country to give it a try because we have an enabling coffee business ecosystem.
How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business and how did you respond to the new reality?
Just like other businesses, we have been affected. The movement of goods, including coffee, has been difficult, and lockdowns meant that our team had to work fewer hours or fewer days in a week. We reduced staff and yes we feel the pinch but I believe that as the country reopens, we will be fine. Another challenge we had is that the cost of coffee has been high for the last 2 years or so, especially EastAfrican coffee’s.
Why do you think this is so?
Most international coffee buyers come for the auction of the coffee. This has really pushed the price of EasAfrican coffee. It is a situation that has been going on for a while, but it has been particularly severe during the pandemic.
So how large would you say your business is, and what are your dreams for the future, say the next 5years?
We supply 70% of coffee shops in Somalia, and 95% of coffee shops in Mogadishu. We do this with a staff of about 100 people in and out of the country. Since we have restarted and stabilized the coffee culture in the country, the next step for the industry is to create coffee specialists like those in other countries. And, as the CEO of this business, I would like us to be a leader in East Africa.
BANADIRIA COFFEE
Coffee is a beverage that is loved by many people. This may seem not true but believe me a walk in the coffee restaurants in the evening will prove me right. Coffee plays an important role in our lives and many people depend on it in case they want to do certain work in the morning or at night. But usually in the night is to keep you awake and, in the morning, to give you a beautiful day. Coffee is not just a flavor that you will just take; it brings a whole new meaning to your life. Having a sip of genuine coffee will bring a good experience and make you feel relaxed.
BANADIRIA COFFEE MAIN STRATEGY
We credit our success to dedication in quality control and tailored customer service. Our customers know that every bag of coffee we ship is inspected. And our quality-enhancing equipment including gravity separators, graders, and sorting machines provides you with coffee of the highest standard and consistent quality.
PRODUCTION OF BANADIRIA COFFEE
To produce what is commonly referred to as washed coffee. We are able to supply you with specialty coffee either from cooperative societies or the exceptional micro-lots from our farms that lie within Somalia
The coffee from this region has bold body, unique berry notes, fruity notes, tantalizing acidity and a clean crispy finish in the mouth. All this being characteristics of Banadiria Coffee. This is attributable to geographical advantages such as great soil depth of the plant and unique fertility on the broad, gently sloping ridges that are not too steep ensuring good drainage.
Upon maturity the cherry ripens and turns red and it is at this point it is handpicked and delivered to the pulping station, where water is used for processing. This is known as the wet processing method.
Banadiria Coffee is graded mechanically on a bean size/density basis after milling; further optical sorting is carried out to ensure that the results are consistent.
As part of the promise of our quality, we painstakingly roast and cup, a broad spectrum of brilliantly complex coffees, within our laboratory to ensure that the client’s needs and requirements are fulfilled.
REASONS FOR CHOOSSING BANADIRIA COFFEE
Banadiria Coffee makes the cut tend to have a powerful black currant bouquet, a hearty full body, and a satisfying high-altitude grown acidity. This combination produces a deliciously distinctive flavour, making Banadiria Coffee the best way to start your morning.
Our brands are well recognized and you can easily find them in most hypermarkets, shopping centres, mini markets and food and beverage in Somalia and Outside
As a complement to our extensive product portfolio, we can offer different products to our customers to appeal to the new segments in the coffee world
We use Freeze Concentration or Thermal Concentration process with different roasting profiles that will give you the best coffee taste.
FLAVOUR AND PRICE
Flavour, as with all coffees, it largely comes down to taste. If you prefer your coffee to taste more like “coffee,” then you’ll want a darker roast, which will lower acidity and take away some of the notes of fruit and other spices. Of course, a darker bean is an oilier bean, which may lead to a cup that doesn’t feel as clean.
With lighter roasts, you can expect a vivid, complex cup of coffee. For some, however, it might be too much. Somalia is known to produce some of the world’s best coffee, but it can also be for the more adventurous.
Price, Because of the quality of the coffee produced in Somalia, it’s also generally more expensive than others. The great thing about the world of coffee is that it is so large, if you want to experience Somalian coffee for a lower price, you can still do so, even if it is just a hint of what you’d have with finer Somalian offerings.
BANADIRIA COFFEE QUALITY AND LOGISTICS
From Quality to Logistics there are so many COGS that keep the Banadiria Coffee engine revving helping us deliver the WOW effect to all our coveted customers.
First, we have very exacting quality standards that guide our quality team on each and every lot of green coffee shipped.
We have put in place a state-of-the-art cupping lab with appropriate lighting, water quality, proper ventilation and state of the art equipment. Further, we have invested in our quality team qualifications to include Q grading, Roasting, Q-processing and Sensory skills. Hence, our mantra #weknowcoffee while appreciating coffee as a complex subject that demands a constant thirst for knowledge and every day, we are seeking to learn more.
Our assurance; We deliver what we promise. We follow painstaking procedures that ensure the approved offer sample and PSS are all in sync with the actual shipment with no room for error. We are constantly checking and monitoring; Moisture content, Screen size, Defect Count, Appearance and Overall Cup
BANADIRIA COFFEE CULTURE
Passion and Determination; We are inspired because we love what we do, we believe in what we are doing and we believe in where we are going. We love and understand coffee both as a beverage and as a culture and believe in offering the best experience to our customers.
Deliver WOW effect through great coffee and services; To WOW you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something different and unconventional. We strive to influence using a new
coffee culture and stoke new trends by offering the best creative products and experiences that have an emotional impact on our customers.
Purpose Driven; You can only register success by fulfilling your purpose. At Banadiria coffee, we are inspired and resourced by God to fulfill a certain purpose in the coffee industry while enhancing His Kingdom.
Happiness; At Banadiria coffee we are conscious of the fact that, we are not only striving to offer our customers high-quality products but a brand that truly stimulates their happiness, that’s the essence of any good coffee. Happiness is contagious too, hence, we have deliberately cultivated a culture of being happy at all times. Happiness binds our spirit and gives us a strong sense of identification with the whole mission.
With God we Win; At Banadiria coffee we draw our inspiration from Almighty God, we have tethered our Goals, Dreams and Aspirations to this pillar hence we are always confident of success knowing God is with us.