How Kuli Kuli Founder Lisa Curtis is Changing the World with Superfoods
How Kuli Kuli Founder Lisa Curtis is Changing the World with Superfoods
Author: Lisa Curtis and Team Grove
While working alongside women farmers in Niger as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Lisa Curtis learned about the power of moringa — a plant native to South Asia and Africa with leaves known for being rich in nutrients and minerals, such as vitamin A, iron, protein, and more — through a local peanut snack that restored her energy and sparked an idea. That moment led to Kuli Kuli, a mission-driven company bringing nutrient-rich, climate-smart plants like moringa to households across the U.S., while creating lasting impact for farmers around the world.
Read on to learn how Lisa is helping to nourish people, empower communities, and give back to the planet one superfood at a time.
At what moment did you know you had to start Kuli Kuli? What was happening in your life at the time?
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 me 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, 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 moringa is grown.
Before launching your brand, what frustrated you most about this industry? How does your brand address that gap?
Before starting Kuli Kuli, I found myself frustrated by the food system that has left more than a billion overweight individuals globally and nearly a billion people who are undernourished, while contributing greatly to climate change. I strongly believe that climate-smart, nutrient-dense plants are a big part of the solution.
What impact do you hope your brand will make on both environmental sustainability and personal health?
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’s the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced as a founder?
COVID was extremely challenging as we had trouble sourcing our superfoods and many of our small farmer partners went out of business.
What’s one thing you’ve learned about sustainability/your industry that you think everyone should know?
We did a carbon audit a few years ago and I thought the biggest use of carbon was going to be shipping products from India/Africa to California. Turns out it was actually our packaging! We switched all of our packaging to be Post Consumer Recycled and it had a huge impact on lowering our carbon emissions.
Aside from your own, what’s one sustainable or healthier product you can’t live without?
I'm obsessed with AlterEco chocolate truffles –– so good for the world and tasty!
What’s one daily ritual that keeps you feeling your best?
My morning superfood oatmeal.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do before bed?
I go for a run every morning, and every night before bed I write down my favorite part of my day on a calendar above my wall.
After a tough day, what’s your favorite way to reset?
Going for a run or walk in nature.
What’s one sustainable change you’ve made at home that you’re most proud of?
We eliminated paper towels and only use cloths.
What’s your favorite sustainability hack that saves time, money, or waste?
I love buying in bulk at my local grocery store, and buying everything else from Grove!
What’s the most unexpected thing in your bag or suitcase right now?
I've really gotten into mushroom chai lattes and have started carrying little packets around.
Is there a sustainability or wellness habit you’re still working on or that you wish was more accessible?
I wish there were more kids snacks that were truly nutritious.
If you could go back to the day before you launched your brand, what would you tell yourself?
I would say "this will all be worth it!”
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