Those who love Sweet Kiwi will be thrilled to hear that they’re set to launch a new line of granola. With a strong tradition of making delicious, yet healthy, treats, Ehime Eigbe, founder of Sweet Kiwi, sees this product launch as a natural next step. Helping them further their commitment to tasty and nutritious treats, Sweet Kiwi’s new granola toppings are the perfect addition to their award-winning frozen yogurt brand.
For the uninitiated, Sweet Kiwi is a DC-based packaged food business that specializes in frozen yogurt and, as of recently, granola. First launched in Nigeria by Ehime and her husband Michael Akindele, Sweet Kiwi aims to “leverage nature’s best ingredients to create healthy food options, helping people live healthier and longer lives.” This means forgoing artificial flavors and ingredients usually found in most desserts. Instead, Sweet Kiwi opts to only use natural ingredients that allow for a much healthier product without sacrificing the sweet flavors that consumers desire. Now with a sizable presence in DC, consumers can find the award winning products in Union Kitchen stores, Whole Foods Markets, local and independent stores, and on their website. With so much sweetness, it’s hard to believe that the story of Sweet Kiwi began on a sour note.
After a health scare in 2009, Ehime Eigbe made it her mission to focus on healthy eating. Unfortunately, this meant she’d have to give up her favorite dessert, ice cream. Now on a mission to find a healthier, yet just as satiating dessert, she soon began to research the topic of nutrition. As she learned more, Ehime started to create her own recipes of frozen yogurts. After much trial and error, the ambitious entrepreneur felt she was ready to begin the long journey of launching her own frozen yogurt food business. Noticing a lack of available frozen yogurt shops, Ehime recognized the great potential for business in Nigeria, where her family is from. This decision would ultimately pay off. The demand for Sweet Kiwi was high, and it quickly became a local favorite. Sweet Kiwi was soon able to open two additional locations in Nigeria. At the same time, Ehime began to experience another life-altering change. She fell in love and married Michael, a local Washingtonian. With business doing well in Nigeria, the two decided to move back to Washington DC, where they would try to build a packaged version of their frozen yogurt. Having moved back, Ehime applied and was ultimately accepted into the Union Kitchen accelerator in 2018. Working closely with Union Kitchen, Sweet Kiwi soon had a packaged product. It wasn’t long before various US-based companies took interest in her frozen yogurt. After signing deals with notable companies, such as Whole Foods Market and Union Kitchen, Sweet Kiwi became available in the mid-Atlantic region. Things were bright for Ehime and her company. But like every good business story, there were twists and turns for the entrepreneur to overcome.
Ehime had to go through a lot of trial and error to get her company to where it is today. Despite her confidence in her product, the business side of operations were giving her some headaches. While she had plenty of experiences running her frozen yogurt shops in Nigeria, selling her products in stores was a different process. Finding the right packaging, for example, was a challenging nut to crack. In an original version of packaging, Ehi and Michael tried for a shorter and wider than standard American pint. They found out quickly that consumers thought they were getting less product - even though they were actually getting the same amount. Through feedback from consumers in Union Kitchen stores, Ehime learned to craft a package that would appeal to and suit the local market’s needs. With this problem solved, Sweet Kiwi was ready to begin shipping out. While this was ultimately a minor hassle, it is a good example of the philosophy that has enabled Sweet Kiwi to succeed. Whenever there’s a problem or a mistake, the Sweet Kiwi team takes time to learn from the situation.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Ehime said in an interview. “Mistakes are where sometimes you find that diamond.”
Those who would like to try Sweet Kiwi’s new line of granola products can find them on their website and in Union Kitchen stores. They come in three flavors. First, there’s Keto, made from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and pecans. Next, there’s Rise, made from oats, orange, coffee, pecans, and orange blossoms. Finally, there’s Classic, made from oats, vanilla, almonds, raisins, and coconut. Additionally, those who want to get the best of both worlds can also purchase a combo of Sweet Kiwi’s vanilla frozen yogurt and their Classic granola. Regardless of which you purchase, feel assured that you are getting a tasty, healthy treat.
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