Panelist
speaker
Moderator
conference Team

Margaret Nyamumbo

Founder & CEO, Kahwa 1896
Margaret Nyamumbo

Margaret Nyamumbo is the founder and CEO of Kahawa 1893, the first nationally distributed Black- and woman-owned coffee company in the United States. Kahawa 1893 sources specialty-grade coffee beans from woman-owned farming cooperatives in Africa and gives back to support them. Margaret grew up on her grandfather’s coffee farm in Kenya and saw firsthand that women provided the majority of labor on the farm, about 90%, but weren’t always compensated. She founded Kahawa 1893 to empower them.

Kahawa 1893’s packaging features a QR code that enables consumers to digitally tip the farmers, allowing them to invest in their micro-businesses, families, and communities.

Kahawa 1893 has been featured on Shark Tank, The Today Show, and CNBC and can be found in retailers like Target and Sprouts.

Margaret is a graduate of Harvard Business School, Smith College, and the London School of Economics.

Agenda

More Info
Breakout 3
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Saturday
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3:45 pm
Aldrich 108
Unlocking Africa’s Agricultural Potential for Regional and Global Markets
This panel explores value addition, branding, and investment to transform Africa’s agricultural sector and boost growth.
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Unlocking Africa’s Agricultural Potential for Regional and Global Markets

Africa’s agricultural sector remains heavily dependent on raw commodity exports, with value addition accounting for just 10-15% of total exports. This limits the continent’s ability to fully benefit from global and regional markets for processed goods. Despite decades of efforts to improve subsistence farming, food systems and livelihoods have seen little transformation.

This panel will explore how demand-driven value addition, branding, and storytelling—supported by the right investments and ecosystem partnerships—can drive sector growth, enhance food security, and unlock economic potential. Panelists from across the value chain will discuss key gaps, opportunities, and actionable pathways to create and capture value in Africa’s agricultural ecosystem.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 3:45 PM
Aldrich 108