Migrant owner of new coffee shop in DIA gives

coffee shop (Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash)

On Thursday, Jan. 13, Denver International Airport's (DIA) Great Hall Project's second coffee shop finally opened to the public. The shop owner recently told the report that she was thankful to God for this another achievement.

Dream Come True

9News recently reported about the life of Muluye Hailemariam, the Ethiopian owner of the shop called Kabod Coffee. She said that it was her "long-time dream" to open a shop, but she also noted that it took a "long journey for her to do it.

"So, it's not easy like overnight's happen, but just like today especially in this world in life, you know, to make happen is just like thanks to God," she said.

In 2011, Hailemariam joined the DIA concessions community, kiosk program, and the Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program.

DIA CEO Phil Washington proudly welcomed the coffee shop as a women-owned business in the minority sector.

Muluye said in the report that before she opened her shop in the airport, she already had two eateries and a Kabod Coffee on Concourse B. She explained that coffee plays a huge part in her Ethiopian culture.

She said that she was pleased to share her ancestry and the finest unblended organic coffee with the hundreds of everyday tourists who pass through the airport. She added that she was also glad to provide local milk and food options that benefit the larger Colorado community.

How Kabod Coffee Came to be

As reported, Muluye came to live in the United States 20 years ago.

Front Porch's report explained that Muluye's beginnings were not easy for her. Despite many hurdles along the way, the migrant continued to aspire to her entrepreneur mindset, which reportedly symbolizes the American ideal she has sought since arriving in the country.

"I started from zero," she says, beaming as she talks about her life and her coffee shop, Kabod Coffee, on the junction of Northfield and Central Park Boulevards.

She explained that she only had $38 when she arrived in the U.S. as a young lady.

She gets her beans straight from Ethiopian farmers. She relies on Ethiopian family and business relationships to ensure that her coffee is of excellent quality and certified organic, resulting in an eco-friendly and sustainable product, as stated in the article.

Muluye then said that she exudes enthusiasm and is eloquent as she philosophizes about life, business, community, and culture. She made it her business to not have a middleman from buying to farmers' union, as she wants to help farmers receive a fair profit when selling their goods.

The Ethiopian owner said that she is proud that her coffee is single-source rather than a combination of different beans, as is customary in the industry.

In the same article, she mentioned that her career in a foreign country is about creating a connection to people as they come and go to her shop.

Her Ethiopian coffee culture reportedly helps her in the trade that is highly opposite of how large coffee companies handle their businesses.