Alexandra Chappatte is the founder of the Kenyan Originals, specializing in craft tonics, fruit ciders, ice teas and craft spirits.
It is worth to note that beverages manufactured by the company are all made with Kenyan ingredients from across the country.
Chappatte established the company in 2018 after quitting her job at Pernod Ricard, a leading alcohol manufacturer.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
In 2017, Chappatte quit her job at Pernod Ricard where he served as the head of marketing to establish Kenyan Originals.
In an interview with How We Made It In Africa, she noted that the company was initially a single person operation based out of an old shipping container.
She was drawn to invest in Kenya due to the country’s fertile soil and her mission to cub food wastage.
“The big challenge is being able to convert fresh fruit into something that will hold for the next 18 months, but there is very little infrastructure in terms of logistics or cold storage, and very little processing
“We didn’t set out to do craft beer specifically – we just wanted to create something that would appeal to the local palate and would have a positive societal impact,” she stated.
Chappatte noted that after carefully studying the market and weighing different food and drinks options, they settled on drinks.
“We found that drinks worked well because, whilst fruits bought for export have to fit a certain aesthetic standard, we don’t really care how it looks. We just care how it tastes
“It also enables us to promote the circular economy – a lot of the pulp which we produce as a by-product is perfect for animal feed, and we end up giving that back to farmers,” she explained.
Chappatte also explained the idea behind the unique branding of their products, noting that it was inspired by their primary market.
“Our primary market is the movers and shakers, the cool kids in Nairobi, who we called the ‘Kenyan Originals’
“I spent a lot of time in matatus and ended up being introduced to a number of matatu artists via a TV show. It all just snowballed from there and we started working with some really great artists,” she said.
She has worked with a number of local artists including Brian Omolo who does the company’s labels and David Avido who does the merchandise.
“We do different collaborations with all kinds of artists via our social media channels, and we are getting more and more people reaching out organically,” she added.
Kenyan Originals drinks can be found at among other retailers Carrefour, ShopRite, Chandarana and Tots Liquor Stores.
The drinks are also stocked at leading entertainment joints including the Alchemist, Blue Door, Bao Box, K1 Klub House, Nyama Mama, Jumia Party, Jumia, Oaks & Corks and Gecko Cafe.
