When Felix Leshey left Cameroon in his early 20s he thought he’d left the world of coffee behind forever.
The African nation ranks 31st among the world’s coffee exporters.
Leshey had spent enough time around the coffee business that he knew he wanted to do more with his life.
“I grew up in coffee, near coffee and cocoa farms,” Leshey said. “When you grow up in coffee you don’t want to have to do anything with coffee because it is a lot of work.”
Leshey was fortunate to establish a 20-year career with WalMart, rising in the ranks of the world’s largest retailer to become general manager of stores in Texas, Ohio and Chicago before serving as a regional manager.
The coffee importer was started by Felix and his 16-year-old daughter Angel who attends Lindblom Math and Science Academy.
Upon his departure from WalMart, Angel asked Leshey what he was going to do next.
“She asked the million dollar question, ‘Didn’t you grow up in coffee?’” Leshey said.
Leshey thought back to the coffee fields in Cameroon where laborers worked long hours in the dirt and the elements and worst of all….dealing with fire ants.
“Have you ever been bitten by a fire ant?” he asked Angel.
Angel had a more pressing concern, the family had been supporting toy drives at local hospitals.
Her brother had fallen seriously ill and been hospitalized with a lung condition as a young child. The condition rendered him unable to consume solid foods until the age of five. During his stays in the hospital the staff would line donated toys up next to him with letters on them.
“That is how he learned the alphabet,” Leshey said.
Ever since that experience the Lesheys have been donating toys.
Angel’s concern was for the hospitalized children going through difficult times like her brother and how they would buy toys to donate.
“My daughter wanted to give the chance to other kids,” Leshey said.
Despite having reservations about entering the coffee business, he started looking into the possibility.
Leshey had contacts in Cameroon and the knowhow from his days in retail. He called friends and family back and started laying the groundwork.
“That is when we started thinking about importing it, packing it and getting it in the market,” Leshey said.
Leshey incorporated Bamenda Coffee in early 2019 and named Angel its CEO.
“The intent was to start small and package a little,” Leshey said.
After a sellout run at a series of local fairs and festivals Leshey said the idea took off.
Less than two years later the Lesheys are Fair Trade importers working directly with local farmers in Cameroon. They now have a warehouse in Chicago and even bought a small coffee farm themselves.
As the concept for the company has grown so has its mission and the responsibility of giving back that first spurred Angel to come up with the idea.
The Bamenda Coffee Foundation, which is part of the larger Leshey Foundation, was launched to promote entrepreneurship and provide other resources to small businesses in Cameroon.
The next step is to give back closer to home.
“What we want to do is open a coffee house that will be an incubator and support the mission and allow other small businesses to access resources,” Leshey said. “That is the next goal.”
For now though, Leshey said he is not only happy the company is in a position to engage in charitable efforts, but also to serve as an ambassador to coffee drinkers on just how good Cameroonian coffee is.
Cameroon has a higher elevation than most other coffee producing nations, which is the secret behind the coffee Leshey said.
So while Cameroon’s annual export of coffee beans is low in comparison to giants like Colombia and Brazil as well as closer to home in Kenya and Ethiopia, they make up for it in quality.
“The higher elevation the growth is different,” Leshey said. That is what makes the coffee special.”
Leshey said while the beans grown at a lower elevation are more abundant those grown in higher elevation in Cameroon are more concentrated. As a result, the coffee has a unique flavor not found elsewhere.
Bamenda Coffee, currently offers its product in four specialty supermarkets in the Chicago area, but its owners have much larger plans.
The future for the company is in the wholesale business.
“Our priority is getting into the hotels and more restaurants,” he said. “The supply is there if we can get into grocery stores.”
Bamenda Coffee is currently exploring a contract with O’Hare Airport and is seeking other opportunities as a Black Owned Enterprise.
Leshey said the company has a keen focus on growing online sales as well.
Bamenda Coffee’s website has a variety of coffee currently available for sale and even offers local delivery options.