Startup Story
Dvyn Treat Batamba’s is a Mozambican coffee brand and business, co-founded by Emilia Banda Tambatamba with the aim to assist SMEs with tailored coffee machinery solutions and premium fresh roasted coffee beans. She manages the daily operation of the business and also works a full-time job as a business assistant for an international company, working with sales and after-sales.
LoA chatted to co-founder Emilia Banda Tambatamba to find out more about this niche coffee business that is helping other SMEs to grow.
What does your company do?
Dvyn Treats Batamba’s roasts and supplies coffee beans, coffee machinery and accessories to local businesses.
What inspired you to start your company?
Failure, pure failure! About 4 years ago I started baking cakes and making floral arrangements for friends and family for small occasions. A year later I quit my Job to start a coffee shop in the very heart of Maputo City. There I quickly learnt that the giant coffee business provides little support to small businesses like mine in terms of machinery and supply of coffee. With little machinery and no proper supplier, the coffee shop began to suffer and funds ran dry. So, the coffee shop closed. Later I realized that there were dozens of young people like myself who close their businesses for lack of support. With the help of the Standard Bank Incubator’s Ideator programme, I learnt how to create a business model using the Lean Canvas Model and Value Proposition. So, we decided that we would create value for small businesses by providing support with machinery they need at accessible prices and quality, freshly roasted coffee. We aim to be that helping hand that small and medium sized businesses need at each level of their business growth. We aim to grow with these businesses by providing tailored solutions.
“We supply the best quality, ethically sourced coffee and freshly roasted coffee from Africa and other regions. We use local roasting techniques that not only empower local communities but also feel close to home.”
Why should anyone use your service or product?
At Dvyn Treats Batamba’s, we supply the best quality, ethically sourced coffee and freshly roasted coffee from Africa and other regions. We use local roasting techniques that not only empower local communities but also feel close to home.
Tell us a little about your team
Dvyn Treats Batamba's has two co-founders - a young couple (Mike Mulenga Tambatamba and myself, Emilia Banda Tambatamba) who manage the daily operation of the business and do everything from design, marketing, production, sales, among others. Mike (Zambian with acquired Mozambican Nationality), my husband is a chartered accountant by profession and is a coffee lover, roaster and coffee blend developer who acquired his skills from his father in Zambia from a tender age. He also helps with social media and our website. My two brothers in law who help with package labelling and stock management, a logistics and supply assistant that helps with sourcing the beans and clearing, a sales rep that helps us with the sales and manage clients with contacts, and finally a caretaker for our small factory.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I grew up with a mother who was strong willed and financially conscious, and she always taught us the value of money and how it could be earned. At the time, it was either through pocket money at the end of the month or good grades and chores. We were never allowed to ask for money, so when hair braids started becoming famous all the little girls had them, but us. So, my sisters and I began to rent our bicycle in exchange for coins until we were able to save enough money to plait our own for hair braids. From there onwards, we never stopped enterprising.
Later when I was 9 years old, my mother passed away and I was placed in the care of my mother’s sister in Swaziland. My aunt used to have a business of growing and selling chickens, fruits and snacks in Mazini taxi rank and after school I would go to help her pack the fruits for her sales boys. When my uncle lost his Job in Swaziland, we moved to South Africa. Unfortunately, he was unable to secure a job within the first six months after our arrival. As a result, my aunt started making fat cookies “amagwinya” for us to sell before we went to school. I can say that this trained me how to sell door to door. In high school, I would braid my colleagues’ hair during break-time to earn some extra money for myself.
After my matric (grade 12), I moved back to Mozambique where I studied business management at the University of Saint Thomas where I earned Honours in business Management. At the University I met a wonderful guy who introduced me to coffee and is now my husband. We then decided to open a coffee shop where we would showcase my Dvyn treats and serve Batamba’s coffee. Soon after, I attended a Standard Bank incubator’s Ideator where I learnt how to model the business. As the coffee shop failed to survive, we remodeled the business to what it is today. Dvyn Treats Batamba’s now focuses on providing support for small and medium sized businesses, with fresh coffee and with machinery for various levels of the businesses.
“We decided that we would create value for small businesses by providing support with machinery they need at accessible prices, and quality, freshly roasted coffee.”
“We aim to be that helping hand that small and medium sized businesses need at each level of their business growth.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Our vision is to create a coffee culture in Mozambique by showcasing African coffee. We aim to take coffee to the next Level "OUTRO NIVEL", by creating unique coffee blends and fusions. “We serve life in a cup”. Dyvn’s mission is to create a unique experience where people can enjoy the next level of coffee with carefully roasted and balanced blends of African Coffee and other Regions.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to share our vision with our community and uplifting those around us. As per a Mozambican saying, ‘one hand washes the other’ or “uma mão lava a outra,” meaning we help each other. There is no greater satisfaction than to know that you were of help and to receive help. We aim to help our clients grow in the process as we too grow. This is the backbone of our business. We get excited when people taste our coffee and then share their feedback, this motivates us to keep improving our coffee.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
My biggest piece of advice would be to start, take that first step so you can see the next step, be open to learning, you will fall several times and you will also win big.
Be honest in all your ways, it is okay to ask for help and to give help. Remember that one hand washes the other.
Contact or follow Dvyn Treat Batamba’s
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL info@dvyntreatsbatambas.com
Why LoA loves it….
They say that the most resilient entrepreneurs are those have experienced failure, but then who learn, pivot, and keep innovating until they find success. Emilia Banda Tambatamba is one such entrepreneur, who has learned along the way how to build a niche business that not only meets a market demand, but also makes an impact for other SMEs. Today, Emilia has developed a business model that works and empowers others to become part of the company’s success story. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa