When Princess Adeyinka, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy Coffee, speaks about coffee, it is never just about a beverage. It is about culture, value chains, policy, farmers, waste reduction, and Africa’s place in a global industry worth billions. Since founding Happy Coffee in 2015, she has been quietly but consistently building a movement around Nigerian-grown coffee—and redefining what is possible for indigenous brands.
In this conversation from the Just4WomenAfrica series, Princess shares the inspiration behind Happy Coffee, the challenges of building a coffee brand in Nigeria, and her bold vision for the future of African coffee.
From a Book to a Business
Happy Coffee was born at the intersection of inspiration and opportunity. While studying in the United States, Princess read a book about Starbucks and became fascinated by how one company transformed global coffee culture.
She made a quiet promise to herself: if she ever started a business, it would be in coffee.
After returning to Nigeria and standing at a crossroads between corporate life and entrepreneurship, an opportunity emerged. In 2015, she applied to the Tony Elumelu Foundation (then newly launched) and was selected as one of the first 1000 African entrepreneurs to receive training and seed funding.
With three months of training and $5,000 in startup capital, Happy Coffee was born.
Why Nigerian-Grown Coffee?
Princess’ decision to focus on Nigerian-grown coffee was both emotional and strategic.
Through research, she discovered that Nigeria once grew coffee at scale, yet the country had become heavily dependent on imports. At the same time, large volumes of locally grown coffee were being wasted due to post-harvest losses and weak value-chain structures.
Having experienced strong coffee culture abroad, she believed Nigerians deserved access to good-quality, locally sourced coffee. Promoting Nigerian coffee became a way to reduce waste, support farmers, and build pride in local production.
These principles became the foundation of Happy Coffee’s strategy—creating structure around Nigerian coffee and rebuilding trust in what is grown at home.
A Breakthrough Moment: The Coffee Festival
One of the first signs that Happy Coffee was on the right path came in 2019, when the company organized its first coffee festival.
At the time, Happy Coffee was barely three years old. Many doubted the idea, assuming Nigerians did not drink coffee—let alone attend a coffee festival.
The turnout proved otherwise.
The festival brought together players across the value chain, from farm to cup, and sparked conversations that had long been missing. For Princess, it was a defining moment.
“That was when I knew the Nigerian coffee conversation was growing—and someone needed to drive it.”
What Makes Nigerian Coffee Unique?
Rather than comparing Nigerian coffee directly with origins like Ethiopia or Brazil, Princess prefers to explain coffee as similar to wine—each origin shaped by soil, climate, and processing methods.
One recurring insight from lab analyses is that Nigerian coffee often carries a subtle cocoa hint, likely influenced by years of cocoa and coffee being grown side by side.
She also emphasizes a little-known fact: 22 states in Nigeria grow coffee. Yet, despite this, most coffee consumed in the country is imported.
For Happy Coffee, the priority has been less about comparison and more about improving processing, reducing waste, and strengthening the local value chain.
Funding, Bootstrapping, and Resilience
Like many African startups—especially those led by women—funding has been one of Happy Coffee’s biggest challenges.
Operating in a sector that was not widely understood or supported in Nigeria made access to traditional bank financing almost impossible. As a result, Happy Coffee relied heavily on bootstrapping, reinvesting revenues back into the business year after year.
Princess also strategically applied for grants, using them to scale operations and grow revenues. Every gain was reinvested, allowing the business to survive and grow steadily over nearly a decade.
Building Without a Framework
One of the toughest realities of building a coffee brand in Nigeria is the absence of a national coffee policy, reliable data, and active government participation in the value chain.
This lack of structure made it harder to pivot quickly or scale efficiently.
Still, Princess chose to focus on what was available: the internet, self-learning, customer feedback, and local insight. By designing solutions from within the Nigerian context, Happy Coffee learned to innovate despite limited resources.
Nigerian Coffee on the Global Stage
Happy Coffee’s international reception has been encouraging. With customers in Canada, the UK, and the United States, the brand’s strongest support continues to come from Nigerians—at home and in the diaspora.
Princess believes this local acceptance has been key.
“If the brand wasn’t accepted at home, it wouldn’t be accepted anywhere else.”
The Power of Showing Up
After nearly a decade of entrepreneurship, Princess distills her greatest lesson into two simple words: show up.
In an environment filled with uncertainty, limited infrastructure, and constant challenges, showing up—for yourself and your brand—is often the hardest part.
Yet, it is also the most transformative.
“Showing up is the most rewarding thing you can do.”
— Just4WomenAfrica
