What are the odds that two Back of the Yards businesses would place in the top ten FedEx Small Business Grant contest?
The odds are higher than one may think. The contest combed through more than 7,800 nationwide entries. Two finalists that operate socially responsible business models are from Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.
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Congratulations to Rumi Spice, the grand prize winners of the Fed Ex Small Business Grant Contest and congratulations to Back of the Yards Coffeehouse for their top ten win! On the left Jesse Iñiguez and Mayra Hernandez stand outside their coffeehouse. On the right from left to right the Rumi Spice crew, Ryan Watt, Imelda Lopez, Joy Griffin and Keith Alaniz. Missing is Laura Willis. (The Gate/Gloria Talamantes)
The grand prize of $25,000 and $7,500 in FedEx Office print and business services was awarded to Rumi Spice. The Back of the Yards Coffeehouse received the bronze prize of $7,500 and $1,000 in FedEx Office print and business services.
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Crocus Saffron flowers blooming in the Afghanistan fields where Rumi Spice work with local farmers. (Photo: Rumi Spice Facebook)
In war-torn countries like Afghanistan with farmers who previously were not connected to the global market, Rumi Spice connected with local farmers that grow crocus sativus, also known as “saffron crocus,” the flower where the spice saffron comes from.
Rumi Spice was co-founded by Kimberly Jung, Emily Miller and Keith Alaniz, all former Army officers who served in Afghanistan. Rumi Spice was founded as part of a startup program in 2014, at Harvard Business School where Jung and Miller were attending school as students.
A country in conflict, Afghanistan is a difficult place to export product from.
Rumi works with Afghan rural farmers to grow and harvest sustainably-farmed top-quality saffron. It then gets shipped to Chicago. Once the shipment arrives in their Back of the Yards facility, it is then sent to customers and Michelin star restaurants all across the U.S.
“People go to the spice aisle and they don’t even think about it, they just go ‘oh I need pepper, I need salt, I need this for a recipe’ but spices are such a fascinating item,” said Alaniz. “It was the first item traded [along] the Silk Road from Asia to Europe. That commodity changed the world; people were disconnected before that.”
Rumi Spice, like Back of the Yards Coffee, begins their hiring process locally in the neighborhood.
Aiming to bring people together through food and saffron, the Rumi team is happy to get the grand prize award.
“I think FedEx is awesome for doing this [contest] There’s always a barrier to entry for small businesses and it’s money,” said Alaniz. “It’s hard to get money when you’re a small business, whether it’s a small loan or whatever.”
The same sentiments are shared by Mayra Hernandez and Jesse Iñiguez, who are building community between the Back of the Yards neighborhood and the farmers of the highlands in Southern Mexico through coffee. They do this by working directly with the farmers.
“We want to use it to help expand our roasting facility. That’s been a fleeting kind of project, it’s been a lot of hard work,” said Iñiguez.
“It will go towards finalizing the purchase of their roaster. They have custom made our roaster and it’s exciting,” added Hernandez.
What was attractive to FedEx about Rumi Spice and Back of the Yards Coffee were their compelling business stories, socially responsible business models and several other elements.
“We also felt that both businesses–and their commitment to making a positive impact on the community–were well aligned with the FedEx concept of “Access.” FedEx believes that when we connect people and possibilities around the globe, businesses prosper, communities flourish and people thrive,” said Scott Harkins, senior vice president, customer channel marketing at FedEx.
While some businesses are focused on the bottom line, Iniguez and Hernandez see reinvesting in their community as an intentional way of conducting business.
“The idea of us giving back is a no-brainer because we know that our customers and friends have that same kind of mentality, so we thought why don’t we create a business like that,” said Iñiguez.
Back of the Yards Coffeehouse and Rumi Spice have similar business models with extremely distinct products. They both work to promote peace and opportunity to communities in need as a part of their business mission.
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One of many coffee plants growing in the coffee farm in Chiapas, from where Back of the Yards Coffeehouse get their coffee beans imported. (The Gate/Mateo Zapata)
Back of the Yards Coffeehouse made its first donation award last September. For both Iñiguez and Hernandez, mentoring the next generation is a driving force behind their business. Most recently, Hernandez has focused her efforts on making sure that she is telling her story and empowering young women from the community.
Hernandez has organized Microfoam, an Open Mic for the community every second Wednesday of the month. She is making her rounds visiting various local schools across the neighborhood to show youth that women in business don’t fit one mold.
“Instead of focusing on the negative, I am trying to show girls and other women that ‘hey I’m doing this’ I am very conscious in what I wear. Everyone is in business suits and heels and I refuse to go like that,” said Hernandez, about attending business meetings. “Not that there’s anything wrong with this, but I come from a hardworking family where we just wear jeans and t-shirts because we work a lot, I want people to understand that there is no one image of what a business person looks like.”
Rumi Spice’s business model helps to empower women too.
More than 1,900 Afghan women hand-process the saffron during harvest season and this is altering societal norms in the Afghanistan culture when incorporating women into their business.
“We try to [hire] as many women who are heads of households, widows and those providing for their families. We pay them direct wages which in itself is a pretty transformative thing in Afghanistan because for so long women were not allowed to work outside the home,” said Alaniz. “Although women always contributed to the home economy, they’ve not been given direct wages traditionally.”
Whether the impact of business is local or global, each one of these businesses is operating under a socially responsible and conscious mindset setting the bar high.
In a time where consumers are informed and socially aware, these two businesses are demonstrating the value they can add to the marketplace by engaging people like farm workers and local residents.
Congratulations to Rumi Spice on being the grand prize winners and congratulations to Back of the Yards Coffeehouse for making it to the top 10 in the FedEx Small Business Grant contest.