Winning Wednesday with Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, Adeyinka Adeyemi
Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, Adeyinka Adeyemi is CEO of Happy Coffee Nigeria, a mobile cafe set up with TEF Capital. Happy Coffee offers an array of coffees, teas and chocolate drinks in customized mixes and flavours Nigerian style. Using Nigerian grown coffee, our mobile cafe is set to reshape the ideologies, misconceptions and opportunities linked with coffee drinking. This entrepreneur wants to liberate coffee drinks across Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Meet Adeyinka Adeyemi.
TEF: How did you get your idea for the business?
Adeyinka Adeyemi: It came to me in my 3rd year in University. My research papers were based on Starbucks. Their brand and growth spurred it. However, I developed my mobile cafe concept during the 3-month of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme training. As I went through the tasks and my engagement with potential clients, my concept about the cafe evolved into the mobile concept. Interestingly enough, I got my company name during this period too.
TEF: What was your mission from the outset?
AA: During my research, I found that the Nigerian coffee farms had dwindled due to a severe lack of incentives for the farmers. Much like many other agricultural crops, it suffered almost to the point of no-return. Yet, in the Mambilla Plateau of Taraba lies black gold; Coffee. My mission is to re-educate an average Nigerian about the art of coffee drinking. More so my goal is to revive the coffee industry/agricultural sector by patronizing the Nigerian coffee farmers. Happy Coffee thrives by engaging one coffee drinker at a time. A first of its kind with massive potentials to boost Nigeria’s participation in the coffee global market. This mobile cafe is a Novel Innovation filled with Intriguing Creativity.
TEF: What was the feeling like in being selected to participate in the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme?
AA: It is beyond a feeling. My reality is that Tony Elumelu saw an idea, that was often times mocked by people, and he put his stakes out, believing that my idea will transform Africa. My selection reaffirmed my faith in God’s promises and favour. Yes, I am a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, sorry but you can’t beat that!
