Amazon Fireside Chats – Caffenu co-founders Rowan and Judy Isaacman on growing through Amazon
Amazon is running a series of Fireside Chats to spotlight the dynamic South African ecommerce space alongside its local business and seller partners.
Robert Koen, Managing Director of Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa, hosts the Fireside Chats and guides the conversations to unpack important trends, insights on challenges and opportunities, and learnings to guide businesses operating in this sector.
In this episode, Koen speaks with the co-founders of Caffenu, Rowan and Judy Isaacman to unpack their journey selling on Amazon both here in South Africa and globally.
Caffenu is a South African brand specialising in coffee machine cleaning products, including cleaning capsules that eliminate residual coffee that’s normally impossible to reach as well as products to descale the water heating element that ensures optimal functionality.
Through its partnership with Amazon, Caffenu has become a trusted brand available on its Shop Mzansi storefront in South Africa.
Caffenu products are also available in eight other countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and more.
The fireside chat
In the discussion, the Isaacmans unpack why they started Caffenu and how the brand has grown to achieve the global success it enjoys today.
“We used to run a coffee machine rental business, and when we were renting out the coffee machines, they were coming back to us really filthy on the inside,” said Rowan.
This required extensive maintenance work by taking the machines apart, which ultimately led to Rowan using his engineering background to create the first Caffenu cleaning capsule and a shift in the company’s focus.
“We thought, if we liked this product and its works, why don’t we develop a brand and see if other people would like to use it.”
Judy added that Caffenu was always going to be a useful and marketable product.
“Ask any barista, and they will tell you that machines need to be cleaned. Professionals are very much aware that the more coffee you put into your machine, the more build-up there will be,” she explained.
“If you don’t remove that build-up, whatever you’re running through that machine will be tainted.”
Rowan also discussed the start-up process in South Africa, explaining how they developed their distribution method through effective networking.
This includes working with private companies such as Amazon and even the government through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Wesgro.
“A lot of people came together to help us get it across the finish line.”
Judy expanded on this by sharing the advice she would offer other start-ups based on their experience with developing Caffenu and their partnership with Amazon.
“Do your research, do your homework, get your business basics right, and then I think it’s about testing what works – Amazon has many tools to guide this process. But first and foremost, just start!” said Judy.
Judy adds that she joined an Amazon seller network of entrepreneurs that have been on the same journey of growing their brands globally, which has been an ongoing source of learning for her.
Watch the full Fireside Chat with Rowan and Judy Isaacman below.
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