Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ryan Fee, owner of Camel Culture, located in Parker, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Camel Culture is a social enterprise that exists to honor people by sharing life-giving products that derive from places like North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East. We offer nostalgic products such as camel milk (fresh / powder), date/date products, camel meat, and cosmetics. We primarily sell wholesale to Halal markets, groceries, and cafes within immigrant and refugee communities throughout the United States. We also sell our products through our e-commerce platform.
Tell us about yourself
In 2015 while living in Seattle, WA, my wife and I were working with a refugee resettlement organization when we became friends with a number of people from Somalia. One evening while eating dinner with a group of Somali friends, I asked them, “What is the one thing you miss most about Somalia that you don’t have in the US?” For the next couple of hours, I began to hear story after story about camels and camel’s milk. Looking around Seattle, besides the zoo, there was not a camel for hundreds of miles. I was struck by the devastation of their loss. I was committed to finding camel milk for my friends.
I ended up finding a camel dairy in CO. I purchased milk from this farm and had it shipped to Seattle. I brought it into a local Somali-owned Halal market/cafe. After the disbelief went away, they were in awe. The milk quickly vanished, and I purchased more that week. My wife and I quickly realized that we could have something here. We formed an LLC in 2016 and began locating other similar communities through the US that would also want camel’s milk.
As a company, we are daily motivated by a love for God and a love for our neighbors. We want our new neighbors to feel a sense of belonging, friendship, and a small taste of home.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I have been so grateful for the year-over-year growth of our company, not only from the financial side but, more importantly, the personnel that has joined our team over the years. Practically speaking, our biggest accomplishment to date was hitting $1M in revenue in 2021.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is…being a business owner. Being an entrepreneur is a tremendous joy because of how challenging it is. The owner is the one who is ultimately responsible. When things are going well, you will be affirmed. When things are not going well, you will be questioned and critiqued. Everything about owning a business is hard, but it is totally worth it… especially if you have good people.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be humble. Listen well. Be a learner.
- Celebrate the wins, even the small ones.
- When you get “A” level players on your team, don’t let them go.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://camelculture.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecamelculture/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camel.culture/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/camel-culture/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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