Soulfully Seasoned Beans • Established 2018
“I grew up in Brooklyn with a big family, and dinner time was always loud, tasty and full of love.” This about sums up the vibe one gets seeing the bright colors, happy faces and eclectic flavor combinations of A Dozen Cousins products. You can almost feel that same homemade-dinner-love when you warm up a bag of these amazing beans, that are convenient, healthy and impact a worthy social cause.
A Dozen Cousins was founded by Ibraheem Basir. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, his family’s kitchen was a delicious melting pot of his mother’s southern cooking and all the rich flavors she picked up from our Caribbean and Latin American neighbors. As he got older and started learning more about the importance of eating natural foods, he hated that there wasn’t an easy way to enjoy all the great dishes he grew up with. Ibraheem started A Dozen Cousins because he wanted more families to have authentic foods that are delicious and easy to prepare.
Growing up in a household with 10 kids, food always played a special role in Ibraheem’s family. It provided a way for them to stay connected, celebrate holidays and mark important milestones. After completing his MBA at the Wharton School of Business, he pursued his passion for food by starting his career in Brand Management at General Mills before leaving the company to found A Dozen Cousins in 2018.
There are three things set A Dozen Cousins apart from other bean brands:
Read more about the unique ingredients in each recipe here: https://adozencousins.com/our-story
Founder, Ibraheem filled us in on the importance of outsourcing accounting for the company: “I think it's very important for any business to have a clear understanding of the financials. When you have clear and accurate numbers, you can make sound decisions and set the right strategies for growth.”
The company’s mission is “to inspire families of all backgrounds to eat better food and live longer, more vibrant lives.” That is not just a phrase, but a driving force behind A Dozen Cousins. They strive to improve the challenges seen in under-served communities; lack of access to healthy foods, outdoor exercise and nutritional education. These factors often result in a higher risk of health ailments such as obesity and diabetes.
A Dozen Cousins hopes to have an impact not only by making healthy and delicious products, but also by providing an annual grant (and volunteer support) to non-profit organizations that are working to eliminate socio-economic health disparities in the US.
This past spring, A Dozen Cousins awarded its inaugural social impact grant to The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre. They are a non-profit organization that teaches culturally relevant cooking and nutrition courses in communities facing health disparities. The grant sponsored two six-week courses (one in English and one in Spanish) which provided instruction to 50 families.
A Dozen Cousins supports this particular program because of its emphasis on foods that are affordable and culturally-relevant. Likewise, the courses were taught by former students that have completed the program, so there is an element of community that makes it easier for participants to visualize success and stick with their commitments.
Read more about the 2019 program in this recent Food Navigator article.
You can read more about the cause and social impact here: https://adozencousins.com/social-impact
The company recently launched nationally with Whole Foods and are growing distribution rapidly across the natural foods retail space.
You can buy A Dozen Cousins online here: https://adozencousins.com/shop or find them in a Whole Foods locally here: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores
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Does this story seem familiar? We would love to hear all about your business, goals and mission. Tell us more and we would be happy to schedule a time to chat.
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