City Girl Coffee: Alyza Bohbot

​

When Alyza Bohbot took over her parent's coffee business in 2015 she took the company in a new direction, combining coffee with a cause.

 

Name: Alyza Bohbot

Company: City Girl Coffee Co.

Age: 32

​

Taking over the family business.

 

Her parents started Alakef Coffee Roasters in 1990. Throughout her childhood, Alyza Bohbot watched her mother and father grow the company

in Duluth, Minnesota.

​

But as her parents approached retirement, the future of the family business became uncertain.

​

"The conversation had been ongoing since I was younger on whether I would come back into the business or not," Bohbot said. "For a long portion of my life I sort of thought 'that's my parent's dream, that's their focus, not mine.'"

​

After all, Bohbot had relocated to the East Coast. She was settled. But the thought of losing the family business was enough to reconsider a move home.

​

"I didn't want to see the business leave our family. And so at that point, I kind of made an agreement with them to come back and at least try for six months and see if it was something that I felt passionately about," Bohbot said.

​

Six months passed and Bohbot realized it was the right fit. She took over the business in 2015. But Alakef was the company her parents built and Bohbot wanted to see herself represented in the brand.

​

"When I came back into the business I really wanted to not just come back and run the business my parents had started, but to really honor the business that they had created."

​

Inequities in the industry.

 

As the newly appointed CEO, Bohbot attended a conference for coffee makers in Seattle. One of the discussions focused on the inequities many coffee farmers face worldwide, especially female farmers.

 

"I just became so passionate about wanting to do more and that was sort of my 'a-ha' moment," she said.

 

Along with running Alakef, Bohbot launched City Girl Coffee, a company that sources the majority of its coffee from small, women-owned or managed farms.

 

"I wanted to really focus on these women and help create a much more sustainable coffee industry by empowering these women producers and members of our coffee industry worldwide," Bohbot said.

 

She began roasting both Alakef and City Girl at the same London Rd. location. But the brands and blends are not the same.

 

"My favorite color is pink, so I kind of wanted to create something that was really different from Alakef that was a little bit more feminine," Bohbot said. "Kind of girly and fun and sort of gave homage to the idea that women can be anything they want to be and can do anything they want to do."

 

The result — bright packaging and a woman on a moped, whom Bohbot describes as a "50's glam meets modern, go-getter woman."

 

And the brand is gaining a following on social media.

 

"Social media has been incredibly beneficial for City Girl and just helping us gain widespread recognition, brand recognition, relatively quickly," Bohbot said. "It's just a great platform to not only have some fun and have cute feel-good photos but then also to tell the story of our female producers."

​

Online recognition also allows the company to reach the millennial consumer.

​

"Their main decision-making factor is not necessarily price anymore," Bohbot said. "That really bodes well for a company like us who's not rooted in price, but rather rooted in quality, customer service, integrity and commitment to doing good for both our local and international communities."

​

Calling the shots.

 

Bohbot has led the 15-employee company as CEO for the past three years. There were, however, a few factors she didn't anticipate when she first started.

 

"Just the level at which you have to really have an understanding for the whole business and really understand not only the financial piece but the marketing piece," Bohbot said. "How to work with different types of employees, how to work with different types of communication styles."

 

"The ultimate responsibility of really making sure that everybody within my company feels supported and successful," she said.

 

Bohbot's company prides itself on offering fair trade, being organic and offering small-batch roasting. You'll find City Girl in select grocery stores throughout the Midwest and online. It might not have the same brand recognition as larger, national chains, but Bohbot is not discouraged.

 

"Without those larger companies paving the way it would be difficult for smaller companies to also make an impact," Bohbot said. "I think every company, large or small, has its place in the industry. Coffee is one of those things where either you want something really local and specialized, or you're just drinking it to get caffeine, so there's definitely a place for all of us."

​

Finding success in her hometown.

 

Bohbot splits her work week between the Duluth roasting location and the company's office in Minneapolis.

 

She plans to continue growing the brand, but the location where her parents first roasted coffee more than 28 years ago is still the company's home base.

 

"It's been wonderful," Bohbot said. "To remain in the community where I grew up and where I still have so many friends and family supporting me has been phenomenal."

 

That support is expanding beyond the Northland. City Girl Coffee now has partnerships with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx professional basketball teams. It's received national attention and continues to gain customers with its mission to empower women in the industry.

 

"It's a great product, it's a great message," she said.

 

And if you're wondering, Bohbot's favorite City Girl roast is Organic Guatemala. But she does try to limit her daily coffee intake.

 

"Honestly, I probably only drink one to two," Bohbot said. "I'll switch to tea in the afternoon because we do tea here too, so it works out well."

 

You can visit City Girl Coffee Co. online to learn more or shop the product.