The Founder Files Growth Through Passion, Serendipity, and Innovation - Paul Raphaely, NOMU
In this episode, we sit down with Paul Raphaely, the co-founder and CEO of Nomu, South Africa’s celebrated food brand known for its premium spices, skinny hot chocolate, and more.
From launching the brand with just 12,000 Rand to exporting to over 30 countries, Paul shares the unfiltered story of how Nomu grew from a small kitchen project into a household name.
Discover how Paul and his wife, Tracy, turned countless challenges—including economic crises and the demands of scaling—to their advantage through relentless innovation, self-belief, and a dose of serendipity.
This is a must-listen for any entrepreneur interested in running a business with your spouse, dealing with stress, building a strong loyal team and much more.
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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.
Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/
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00:00 Introduction
05:46 What is NOMU?
07:52 NOMU’s unique product innovation process
10:45 Where the business is at now
12:44 How NOMU started
18:38 What it’s like starting a business with your spouse and how to make it work
32:27 How to deal with stress
38:28 How NOMU reacted to the global economic crisis of 2007
51:00 Pivoting and how it happened
55:38 Figuring out distribution after finding a winning product
01:03:15 Balancing new product development and optimising what’s already working
01:13:34 Running the business with a new approach
01:16:57 What does the next 6 - 12 months look like?01:21:10 How to choose who to hire?