Keevo Nutrition is a supplement store located in Montreal, Quebec. Founded by Daniel Asfaha and Cedric Ngenzi, Keevo has been making superfruits such as baobab and moringa accessible for busy people who need extra support in their health.
Daniel and Cedric are also conscious of using sustainable packaging and reducing their ecological footprint every step of the shipping process. OnSide Media is delighted to highlight Keevo for Black History Month and discuss Daniel and Cedric’s journey as a black-owned business in the supplement industry.
What is your experience of running a specialty health store in Quebec?
Daniel Asfaha: It has been great so far. We wanted to improve our nutrition, so this business has solved one of our problems resulting from fatigue and not eating correctly. People are looking for ways to eat organic, and there is more of a focus on health and wellness. As a retailer, we want to make our products accessible for people to achieve their goals.
How did Keevo begin as a business? What inspired Keevo?
Cedric Ngenzi: Dan and I have known each other for ten years. We went to university together. We always knew we wanted to make a positive change in the world. We were traveling a lot, experiencing fatigue, and we were not eating very healthy.
It is hard to eat well on the road, so we began looking into supplements. What surprised us was how little moringa and baobab were known. We’ve been able to eliminate coffee almost entirely. For Keevo, we wanted to create a company that regenerated the value we have of African descent.
How does the company continue to produce environmentally friendly packaging?
Daniel Asfaha: It was essential for us to provide products that are not a determent to the environment. Sustainability is one of the core values of Keevo. Many innovative companies of past generations created great products but were not educated on protecting the environment during production. We are one of the only brands that use bioplastic that is 100% compostable. Every step from our packaging to shipping is sustainable to preserve the environment.
Is the company planning on expanding its line of health care products? How do you feel about expanding your locations?
Cedric Ngenzi: We want to stay in our lane, which is supplements, and we want to help people with transformations in the future. We also want to find a healthy way to preserve the shelf-life of our products.
As far as our locations, we are currently selling our products online. We have six locations in the Montreal area, and we want to expand in the coming months.
What is your experience of being a Black-owned business in Quebec?
Daniel Asfaha: The journey has been incredible so far. Cedric and I have over 20 years of experience combined. We both come from a business background and have a mutual passion. Our experiences feel the same as running a business, period. We happen to be Black-owned. We have experienced unique challenges regarding funding.
Fortunately for us, we were able to navigate that well. It is not lost that we are a part of a racialized community, but it is essential to have diverse business owners. This only improves the market and the variety of products. The “Ethnic” section in grocery stores has grown, which is an advantage to all Canadians.
Why the name Keevo?
Cedric Ngenzi: K-KNOWLEDGE E-EMPOWERMENT E-ENERGY V-VISION O-ORGANIC
For more information, visit https://keevonutrition.com/
Author: Vanessa Butera, Content Writer, The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – vanessa.butera@theonside.com
