I am so excited for this month’s Founder Friday! Today we are talking with someone who has not only taken a passion and turned it into a thriving business that serves her community and culture with excellence, but has done so in the face of cultural challenges that, as a woman in Saudi Arabia, forced her to be creative in this pursuit. We are talking with the founder of Hjeen Coffee, in Saudi Arabia, Sarah Alakeel!
Sarah has been trained in and worked as a manager and founder of tech and e-commerce businesses before she discovered coffee and started her blog www.hjeen.com in 2016. The passion that she developed for coffee mixed with her business savvy came together to created what Hjeen is now, a growing and bustling roastery and wholesale business as well as with two cafes.
Sarah has been making waves in coffee for a while now and in our conversation with Sarah we will get to hear her story and how she has grown this business and the lessons she has learned along the path.
We cover:
- First taste of great coffee
- Beginning in the business of coffee
- Breaking cultural barriers as a woman
- Accommodating tradition while introducing new ways
- Establishing a system to serve a variety of tastes
- Knowing what trends and tools are right for your customers
- Enjoying the journey
- Challenges of ownership
- Hiring the right employees for your culture
- Embracing the management roles of ownership
Related Episodes:
- 338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project, Detroit, Michigan
- 131 : The Strong Women of Coffee w/ Laura Gonzalez
- 203 : Empowering Women in Business w/ Katherine Knapke
- 171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India
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