Kuli Kuli: Nutrition You Can Really Feel
- KLS
- May 22
- 8 min read
For the 185th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Kuli Kuli and Founder, Lisa Curtis. Kuli Kuli was founded by a female Peace Corps Volunteer on a mission to empower women and fight climate change. We sustainably source the purest, most nutritious leaves of the moringa tree to produce superfood products that improve the lives of women around the world. Nourishing you, nourishing the world.
"Together Talks" feature # 185: Kuli Kuli presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
Story of how it was created?
As a vegetarian, I was feeling sluggish from a diet of mostly rice while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger. Women in the local community advised me to eat moringa leaves, showing how to mix them into a local peanut snack called kuli-kuli. After eating the nutritious kuli-kuli moringa snack, my energy returned. The leaves of the moringa tree are packed with protein, vitamins, and antioxidants, providing a powerful boost of nutrition and caffeine-free energy. I recognized the potential for moringa as a powerful tool for nutritional health. While moringa was recognized locally for its medicinal benefits, farmers saw no reason to grow it without market demand. I was inspired to find a market-based solution to realize moringa’s potential as a powerful tool for nutritional health and expand US market access to African women farmers. I returned home to the U.S. and built Kuli Kuli Foods, a social enterprise that brings moringa and other nutritious superfoods to American consumers while partnering to create jobs and promote local consumption in the communities where these superfoods are grown. Nourishing you, Nourishing the world™.
What separates you from your competition?
Moringa is the most nutrient-rich, revitalizing, good-for-you green on the planet — yes, even more so than kale or turmeric. Add this daily defender to your diet for a quick caffeine-free way to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to power through the day. Moringa is a leafy green superfood and one of the most nutrient-dense plants on the planet. The leaves of the moringa tree are packed with protein, essential amino acids, 27 vitamins, and 46 antioxidants. It has long been used in cultures around the world and is well-known in Ayurvedic medicine for its multitude of benefits. Recent scientific studies in the US have shown that moringa contains a multitude of medicinal benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties that rival turmeric.
Named the top wellness trend by Good Morning America and the TODAY Show, moringa is extremely versatile. Blend moringa into smoothies, bake it into cookies and cakes, sprinkle it over savory dishes, or mix it into sauces and soups. As the world’s premier moringa brand, Kuli Kuli sources the freshest moringa leaves, hand-harvested by family farmers and women' s cooperatives. Kuli Kuli has since expanded to sell other climate-smart, community-grown superfoods like baobab, hibiscus and lucuma. Our customers love that with every Kuli Kuli product they get nutrition they can really feel, and they feel good about the impact they're creating around the world.
What are the nutritional benefits of moringa?
Moringa is one of the most nutrient-dense greens on the planet, packed with protein, essential amino acids, 27 vitamins, and 46 antioxidants. It has a green, matcha-like flavor and adds a healthful, mild burst of green to smoothies, savory dishes, and sauces.
A leafy green tree that grows across the tropics, moringa leaves are incredibly nutritious, so much so that moringa packs more vitamins than your favorite nutrient-rich greens like kale and spinach. Don’t believe us? While most greens are 90 percent water, leaving 10 percent for nutrients, moringa is 80 percent water meaning it has double the amount of nutrients.
At Kuli Kuli, we partner directly with small farmers around the world to source the purest, most nutrient-dense moringa. Moringa has a mild green flavor — think a peppery version of matcha — and adds a healthful burst of green to smoothies, sauces, and dozens of recipes without overpowering. When in doubt, moringa pairs best with citrus and fruit flavors (like pineapple), rich, nutty, or chocolatey flavors (like almond butter), and spicy flavors (like ginger).
Can you reflect on a goal you set, achieved, and how it made you feel?
Kuli Kuli has quickly grown from an idea dreamed up in the Peace Corps into a multi-million dollar social enterprise selling sustainable superfood products nationwide.
Kuli Kuli has quickly grown from an idea dreamed up in the Peace Corps into a multi-million dollar social enterprise. Kuli Kuli introduced moringa to the US market, a superfood unknown to most Americans, and grew it to the point where Good Morning America recognized it as a Top Wellness Trend. Kuli Kuli’s award-winning superfood powders, lattes, and gummies are sold in 11,000 stores nationwide and online at kulikulifoods.com. Kuli Kuli has formed partnerships with leaders in the field, including Whole Foods Market, the Clinton Foundation, and KeHE Distributors. Kuli Kuli has raised over $11M in investment from the top food companies and venture capital firms in the world, including Kellogg, Griffith Foods, S2G Ventures, and others. Kuli Kuli’s story and success is regularly featured in the media, including Forbes, MSNBC, and The Wall Street Journal.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
Kuli Kuli recently launched in Target!
Kuli Kuli’s vision is to pioneer the plants of the future in the US.
Our mission is to turn climate-smart community-grown superfoods into staple foods, enabling us to generate income for thousands of farmers while also fighting climate change. There are more than a billion overweight individuals globally and nearly a billion people who are undernourished — in part because half of the world’s plant-derived calories come from just three foods: wheat, corn, and rice. Moreover, of the 30,000 edible plants in existence, humans only eat 150 of them. Nutrient-dense climate-smart crops like moringa are critical to improving the health of humanity and of our planet. As our climate changes, our diets must change with it.
Starting with moringa in 2014, Kuli Kuli has been on a mission to create a market for nourishing, climate-smart plants, and we’re now expanding into other climate-smart tree crops like baobab, lucuma, and hibiscus. Working with new crops enables us to continue to develop supply chains that benefit small farmers in developing economies.
What is your product line?
● Pure Organic Moringa Powder - Moringa is a leafy green superfood bursting with essential vitamins and nutrients. One of the most nutrient-dense plants on Earth, our third-party tested moringa contains over 150 plant bioactive compounds. We source it from rural farms with clean growing practices, so you can get a green boost without any gunk. Moringa tastes similar to matcha but provides caffeine-free energy. Add it to your favorite smoothie, drink, or meal for whole-body nourishment and go-get-em energy.
● Organic Superfood Energy Shake - A blend of energizing moringa, plant protein, and other superfoods, these Organic Superfood Energy Shakes provide the perfect uplifting boost to power you through the day. Available in two delicious flavors, Vanilla and Chocolate Peanut Butter, stir these shakes into your favorite non-dairy beverage — or even just water — for a plant-powered boost that will keep you energized and satisfied for hours.
● SuperGummies - Kuli Kuli's plant-based superfood gummies are the most delicious way to get your daily dose of superfoods, with 400mg+ of superfoods in each 2-gummy serving and less than 5g of sugar. SuperGummies come in five mouth-watering flavors: Green Apple Moringa SuperGreens, Berry Chaga, Lemon Turmeric, Sour Berry Baobab, and Cinnamon Cacao. SuperGummies feature an innovative pouch format sustainably made with post-consumer recycled plastic.
● Superfood Blends - A balance of familiar favorites and powerful unique superfoods, Kuli Kuli’s Superfood Blends pop on shelf for consumers seeking function and differentiation. Carefully crafted with simple powerful ingredients, these blends boost your daily smoothie, add color and flavor to your morning yogurt, or simply mix into your favorite liquid. Our line of Organic Superfood Blends includes:
○ SuperGreens - Drink Your Greens
○ Gut Bliss - Give Your Gut Some Love
○ Mood Magic - Your Mood Boosting Bestie
○ Marine Glow - Get Your Glow On
○ Citrus C Defense - Your Daily Defender
● Superfood Lattes - Uniquely delicious flavors and distinct functions meet consumer needs for gut health, low caffeine energy, sleep, and weight management in these incredible instant lattes. Each latte contains science-backed functionality from trending ingredients such as magnesium, B vitamins, psyllium husk, and purple tea. Our line of Superfood Lattes includes:
○ Vanilla Lavender - Sip Yourself to Sleep
○ Strawberries & Creme - Your Belly’s Barista
○ Matcha Moringa - Energy Minus Jittery
○ Ube Coconut – Drink to Your Health
How have you dealt with being the face of the company?
I love the opportunity to tell the story of Kuli Kuli and have been proud to be the face of a brand and mission that I care so much about. I began working on Kuli Kuli while serving in the Peace Corps and has grown it into a multi-million dollar social enterprise. Prior to Kuli Kuli, I served as the Communications Director at Mosaic where I managed a team of six to grow the company from zero to over $5M invested in clean energy. Previously, I wrote political briefings for President Obama in the White House, served as a United Nations Environment Programme Youth Advisor, and worked at an impact investment firm in India. I have been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and Inc Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders list. I've also been featured in numerous outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
What is the target customer?
Kuli Kuli's target consumer is a woman we call "Holistic Hannah.” She’s in her mid-30’s, college-educated, and has children. Hannah seeks to improve her health through her diet and natural foods. She often restricts meat, dairy, gluten, and soy, tries to avoid sugar, and supplements her nutrition with superfoods. Her mantra is “What I eat is how I feel.” Her health concerns make her discovery-oriented as she’s always seeking out new delicious foods that fit into her diet. Hannah often shops at Whole Foods and natural food stores but migrates to eCommerce later. She adds moringa to her morning smoothie but is interested in incorporating it into other dishes as well.
What is your why?
Kuli Kuli is a mission-driven company and regularly shares stories of our suppliers and social impact. However, we must be careful in the way that we share these stories in a way that is not paternalistic or savioristic, but rather upholds our JEDI mission statement:
Kuli Kuli was born out of a recognition that there are injustices in the world, such as global malnutrition, income inequality, and gender inequality. Through our products and partnerships, we are directly addressing these inequities by promoting the economic development and leadership of small farmers, particularly women, in emerging markets. Our approach is not paternalistic or savioristic; rather, we value and respect the cultural knowledge of communities who are harnessing the power of moringa and other superfoods. We endeavor to provide these communities with access to global markets so they can share their products with the world.
Piece of Advice
Startups don’t fail, founders quit. Over 12 years, grit and determination are 90% of the battle, I've learned. if you can roll with punches, you will be successful.
Community Callout
Wendy Davidson:
I was incredibly lucky to meet Wendy Davidson, the former CEO of Hain Celestial, early in my career and she has been an incredible mentor ever since. I deeply admire the thoughtful, caring and daring way in which she leads, and the way that she's not afraid to make hard decisions. She's also extremely generous with her connections, and I've met so many amazing leaders through her.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Kuli Kuli and Founder, Lisa Curtis, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
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