Scaling a Mission-Driven Business: Lessons from Lisa Curtis, Founder of Kuli Kuli Foods

Lisa Curtis founder of Kuli Kuli

In this episode of Her CEO Journey, we’re joined by Lisa Curtis, the dynamic founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods. Lisa’s journey began during her Peace Corps service in Niger, where she struggled with finding nutritious food. A group of local women introduced her to moringa, a superfood that helped tackle malnutrition—and that simple solution later became the foundation of her thriving business. 

Recognizing the potential of moringa as both a powerful source of nutrition and a way to support the livelihoods of small farmers, Lisa began her journey in partnership with these farmers. She set out on a mission to introduce this superfood to the global market. As Kuli Kuli grew from a grassroots effort to an international brand, Lisa Curtis faced challenges such as consumer education and fundraising for her mission-driven company. 

In this episode, she shares lessons on balancing purpose with profit, storytelling in marketing, and staying true to values while growing a business. Lisa’s insights offer a guide for entrepreneurs aiming to make a meaningful impact.

Tune in as Lisa discusses how Kuli Kuli integrates social impact, sustainability, and women’s empowerment into every aspect of its operations. Lisa’s leadership is not just about growing a successful business—it’s about leveraging that success to create positive global change. 

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business leader, or simply passionate about making a difference, this episode is filled with actionable insights and inspiration.

Key Takeaways

  • Aligning your company’s mission with both profit and purpose is crucial for long-term success, especially in the CPG industry.
  • Finding a product that resonates with your passion and values helps create a more meaningful and mission-driven business.
  • How Kuli Kuli collaborates with women farmers in developing countries to create positive change in the food industry. 
  • Achieving scale in the CPG industry is essential to drive cashflow positivity and optimize economies of scale across supply chain and manufacturing.
  • Kuli Kuli leveraged a variety of financing strategies—crowdfunding, angel investors, grants, and customer loans—at different stages of growth, each tailored to the company’s needs at the time.

Episode Highlights

  • [04:20] – Lisa’s Peace Corps journey and discovering the power of moringa to found Kuli Kuli Foods.
  • [10:05] – The early challenges of building Kuli Kuli and securing funding.
  • [14:45] – The challenges and rewards of introducing a new superfood to the U.S. market. 
  • [17:20] –  Developing a successful pricing and margin strategy to achieve growth and profitability while staying true to the mission. 
  • [19:30] – Understanding each retailer’s game and creating a pricing strategy for each one. 
  • [20:30] – Unexpected direct costs that undermine the margin and Kuli Kuli’s ability to learn from experiences around distributor’s fees. 
  • [25:00] – How to create and maintain an ethical and impactful supply change and the value of high-chain diversification to manage quality.
  • [28:15] –  How Kuli Kuli integrates social impact into its business model working closely with each group of local farmers.
  • [29:50] – Expand and grow Kuli Kuli’s business model to other superfoods.
  • [31:20] – Lisa discusses the challenge of reaching profitability in the CPG sector, emphasizing how difficult it is to make money when you’re a small business.
  • [31:48] –  Lisa shares how Kuli Kuli navigated financing challenges by using a mix of different financing paths. 
  • [36:20] – Negotiating loan terms and finding investors that align with your mission. 

Resources

Enjoyed This Podcast?

If you enjoyed today’s episode and want to dive deeper into how women entrepreneurs are creating sustainable and impactful businesses, make sure to subscribe to Her CEO Journey. 

We deeply appreciate your thoughts, so don’t hesitate to share this episode with your network and help us expand our impact even further!

LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter

Keep Learning

Ready to subscribe and make some impact?

We donate to teaching financial literacy to family, educating women to have their own business or supporting girls to advance!

Profit Reimagined™ Inc. Fractional CFO Services in the US and Canada.

FREE ebook

What’s Your Endgame?

The step-by-step guide to strategically exiting the business on your own terms.

We hate spam, expect only impactful content in your inbox!

Business Exit strategy - Endgame eBook

I want to be featured on

Welcome to Her CEO Journey™! We’re on a mission to highlight remarkable women who are trailblazing their way through the business world. We’re truly honored that you’re considering us as a platform to feature your inspiring journey!

If you’re excited about sharing your experiences – the hurdles you’ve overcome, the triumphs you’ve achieved, and the wisdom you’ve gained along the way – we invite you to fill out the form below.

 

Rest assured, we’ll reach out to you if we find a fitting match for our upcoming series. Your story matters, and we can’t wait to hear it!