Margaret Nyamumbo is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kahawa 1893 - becoming the first black woman to own a nationally distributed coffee brand in the United States.

Driven by the passion for women empowerment, and especially the female labour force, Nyamumbo founded Kahawa 1893 to directly support women farmers who constitute 80 per cent of the workforce in most coffee farms across Africa.

Nyamumbo's exploits have seen her feature on globally acknowledged venture capital show, Shark tank, pitching her idea Infront of billionaire investors; Mark Cuban, Emma Grede, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, and Lori Greiner.

Background & Education

Nyamumbo was born and raised on a coffee farm in Kenya. 

Between 2007 and 2011, Nyamumbo attended Smith College graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics. She also attended London School of Economics and Political Science between 2009 and 2010, and Havard Business School for an MBA between 2014 and 2016.

Kahawa 1893

Shark Tank

Appearing in Episode 14 of Shark Tank, the coffee entrepreneur sought $350,000 for 5% equity in her company. Ultimately, guest “shark” Emma Grede and Nyamumbo agreed on a $350,000 investment for an 8% stake in the company.

In her pitch, Nyamumbo noted that coffee products attract good prices in the markets but noted the minimum income farmers pocket regardless. She aims to bring awareness of the costs of coffee farming to the specialty coffee industry.

Kahawa 1893 currently offers five coffees ranging from espresso blends to single origins. Roasted in New York and California, Kahawa 1893 provides distinctive East African coffee.

To Nyamumbo, coffee is more than something you drink, it is a medium used to connect people from across the world.

He notes that the recent company success and media coverage has earned her and the producers much needed promo.

“One of the biggest things to come out of ‘Shark Tank’ that I didn’t expect was the episode went viral in Kenya,” she said.

“That was because people felt seen for the first time on a global stage. It’s sort of confirmed this idea that people want to be seen in the brands that we’re consuming.”

Since appearing on Shark Tank, Kahawa 1893 has expanded distribution to more stores. The company recently partnered with Keurig to launch Kahawa K-Cups.

Nyamumbo and Kahawa 1893 have over $7 million in lifetime sales. The company has since partnered with Meijer, Gelson's, and H-E-B. With products in various retail stores across the US including Target.