Hapi African gourmet
Paulette, founder of Hapi African Gourmet, posing with Anna (L) and Siedric (R) from Revival Road Farm and Ismail from Nubian Markets. Photo by Jabari Rezende.
Hapi African Gourmet is on the mission to help mainstream African style foods in the United States. They use food as a common denominator to present a less known side of Africa to the masses. Find their spice mixes, sauces, and frozen prepared meals on our grocery shelves. And try the spice mix for yourself in store on our Aza’a Chicken!
Hapi’s founder Paulette is a native of Cameroon who came to the US after spending four years in Burkina Faso. She is a trained lawyer who worked in financial services and international development prior to starting a food business. Her work focused on sustainable development was a catalyst in launching Hapi African Gourmet to help change the current script about Africa.
Paulette has always wanted to do something to address the root causes of Africa’s underdevelopment, which are anchored in the current institutional infrastructure to perpetuate poverty. Her inspiration to embark on this journey came from several perspectives: Paulette’s political activism and advocacy inspired her to contribute to change the way people perceive Africa. From a culinary perspective, the nostalgia, and memories of her grandmother’s cooking with simple ingredients to make delicious food, was her inspiration. Her deepest source of inspiration from a general business perspective was from her parents, who inspired her grit, devotion, and compassion.
