Where I come from

I was born in Ethiopia. Coffee there isn't a grab and go thing. It's how people welcome you in.

We lost our mother young. My siblings and I moved between orphanages. Other kids left before us. Sometimes gifts showed up for them from families in the US, and I'd wonder what it was like to be in their shoes.

Then a family brought us to America, to Missouri. It didn't last.

In 2010, a family here in Wisconsin took us in.

What stayed with me isn't the instability. It's the people who chose to stay.

How it started

Etho Blend started as an idea my siblings and I kept talking about. If we ever built something, we wanted it to be good, and something we could actually relate to. We come from a place where coffee is more than coffee.

Around then, I got obsessed. The history. How to brew it properly. I bought equipment, watched a bunch of videos, and one thing led to another.

The first name was Ethiopian Blend. I changed it to Etho Blend because of what it means.

For about two and a half years, it was on and off. Sometimes I thought it could work. Sometimes I thought about dropping it completely. Something kept bringing me back.

Then, at 24, I had a heart attack.

After that, I went into a deep depression. I didn't talk to anyone about it.

I just knew I needed to spend my time on something that made me feel like I was doing something with my life. So I poured it into this.

And it helped. It gave me more joy, and hope for the future.

I found a roaster that shares our mission and knows this industry. I started selling to family and friends. Figuring out how to build it all took a long time.

School wasn't my thing. It was hard for me to stay motivated. This was different. I wanted to figure it out.

And I did, slowly. But I don't take the credit for that. I felt like this was something I was supposed to do, and I believe it was God's will. All the glory goes to Him. Everything I have is because of Him.

Still going

There's still a long road ahead, with ups and downs. I'm okay with that. I want to wake up every day with a purpose, and one day look back proud of what we built. I want that for my family, and for everyone this brand touches. Including you.