George Wayne | Brand Notes

How small brands win, and me building a Kenyan coffee brand from zero ☕ Brand breakdowns, Kenyan business and Keti, built in public.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

I'm building a Kenyan coffee brand from zero. It's called Keti.

Kenya grows some of the best coffee in the world, and most of it leaves the country before we ever taste it.

Here I post two things:
1. How small brands win
2. Every step of building Keti, mistakes included

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@maxy_mwaura Brookside is a great pick. It's on the list for next week 🙌

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

Name a Kenyan brand you'd pay extra for just because of the brand.

Not the price, not the quality. The brand.

I'll break down the best answers.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

5/ The lesson: the gap was right at home.

I think it still is. That's why I'm building Keti.

What was your first Java House order?

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

3/ That café became Java House.

Today: 73 outlets across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

4/ It has changed owners four times in about 12 years. Private equity kept buying it.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

2/ Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner opened a café at Adams Arcade on Ngong Road.

The idea was simple: sell Kenyan coffee to Kenyans.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

1/ In 1999 it was hard to find good Kenyan coffee in Nairobi.

Most of the best beans were exported. Two Americans saw the gap 🧵

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@ik__6lemmon Peace of mind

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@Ksvane This is my favourite part. Farmers wanting feedback on the cup, not just a price. Did Peter find a way to send that feedback back to them regularly?

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@kenyanwalstreet Value up 16.7%, volume up only 2.4%. So Kenyan flowers are earning more per stem, not just shipping more. Would love to see coffee follow the same path.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@BD_Africa Feels true in coffee too. Lots of small roasters in Nairobi, very few that sell beyond one city. What do you think is the biggest blocker, money or distribution?

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@maxy_mwaura Breakdown drops this week. Any other Kenyan brand you'd add to the list?

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@Lolaschanne Poverty

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@maxy_mwaura Good one. Farmers Choice has been around so long that the name alone means trust. Breaking down how they built that this week.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@uffyebanda

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

Keti update, week 1:

I made a list of 100 cafés across Asia that could buy Kenyan coffee.

17 look like strong fits. Some already rotate single origins every week, and none of them has a Kenyan lot right now.

First messages go out this week. I'll share what they say.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@Its_franc_ Kila siku bana

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@chefsevenn Going for grocery shopping.

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@_FoodieX Fish sauce

[George Wayne | Brand Notes @georgewayne_ke]

@annhybri My health

[VIN @rvinjayx_]

Manifesting.