Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alisha Esmail, CEO of Road Coffee Inc., based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

At Road Coffee, it's more than a great cup of coffee.

Each cup of our coffee impacts families of smallholder coffee farmers and takes important steps towards their independence and freedom. Road Coffee's mission is to bring quality coffee directly from a farmer's hands to your cup and invested back into their land.

We are the first to introduce BeyondFair (™), a way for farmers to capture more value, grow their business, and benefit the lives of their families and community. This includes our strategic micro-loan program that is focused on ending predatory lending for coffee farmers. Coffee farmers often have to pay wild interest rates, sometimes up to 70%. We want to change that; we offer 7% on micro-loans.

You have the power to unshackle these coffee farmers. No more shackles. No more barriers.

We work directly with a number of coffee farmers around the world from Costa Rica, Peru, Laos, Brazil, and more. We've set up multiple fully female supply chains, which is 1 of our focuses with our ESG Goals. Our HQ is in Saskatoon, SK, where we innovate roasting techniques to bring out amazing flavours and aromas.

We partner with cafes, restaurants, and retail locations. We also have an amazing Corporate program where we partner with corporations who have similar values and EGS Goals. Our e-commerce store allows us to partner with individuals who want to help end predatory lending for coffee farmers, all while drinking delicious coffee. At Road Coffee, it's more than a great cup of coffee.

Tell us about yourself

My background is in international development; I’ve spent a lot of time hanging on coffee and tea farms, meeting coffee farmers and their families learning. It was through this first-hand experience, I quickly learned about the systemic injustices and inefficiencies that keep coffee farmers in poverty and stunting their growth.

Visiting these farms, and seeing just how hard farmers are working, made it clear that they’re being taken advantage of by those in power - and that things really need to change. This is what led me to move back to Canada to start Road Coffee in order to bridge the gap between coffee farmers and coffee drinkers.


What motivates me daily is knowing that we are making a quantifiable difference with each bag of Road Coffee. Did you know you can change the GDP of many countries by changing the inefficiencies and corruption within the supply chain?

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is our micro-loan program. When I was a teenager, I used to read about the Green Bank and the birth of Microfinance in Indonesia. I had wanted to use micro-lending to impact those living in emerging markets.

As life unfolded, I had forgotten about this dream. It was only after we had launched our micro-loan program with Road Coffee that my business coach had reminded me of when I was a teenager and used to dream of doing this.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the challenges that comes with being a business owner is the level of perseverance required. The path of entrepreneurship is not straight, and it often pushes the boundaries of perseverance. The upside to this is it often shows you that you can handle way more than you think you can and the ability that one can bend without breaking.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Know your "Why." This will carry you through all the tough times and be your north star to keep you on track.
  2. Be original. Creativity will allow you to stand out.
  3. Control what you can; let go of what you can't.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If I could add something, I would say deal fairly with people. Those long-term relationships will open doors you can't imagine.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://roadcoffeeco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roadcoffeeco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roadcoffee/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/road-coffee-inc/


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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.