Coffee company Wakuli has chosen corporate creative PR agency Numen as its partner for communication strategy and public relations. The collaboration, which began in November, marks a significant step in Wakuli’s mission: to invite as many people as possible to contribute to a ‘new world’ where consumers enjoy better coffee and farmers receive a fair price.
Wakuli is accelerating its growth. The company recently completed a new investment round and opened its 20th location. To support the transformation from an Amsterdam startup to an international coffee brand, Wakuli sought a partner who understands the balance between commercial effectiveness and an idealistic mission.
Wakuli's growth is essential to achieve its ultimate goal: systemic change in the coffee chain. "Currently, a small number of players hold all the power," says Yorick Bruins, co-founder of Wakuli. "In the current 'hourglass model,' 10 million farmers depend on a handful of giants. Good things are being done on a small scale, but that's a drop in the ocean. We want systemic change, and that can only be achieved with this new model."
To translate this ambitious vision to a broad audience, Wakuli is partnering with Numen. The PR agency helps Wakuli explain why the current system is failing and how consumers can bring about change. Stijn Zwinkels, co-founder of Numen: "Wakuli is one of the few Dutch scale-ups that combines super-fast growth with significant impact. They are challenging the established order and are already improving the lives of tens of thousands of coffee farmers worldwide. It is a wonderful challenge for us to clearly and powerfully convey this mission."
The partnership is already yielding immediate results. The existing strategy has been translated into a media approach that centers the mission and explains how Wakuli combines rapid growth with taking responsibility. This resulted in interviews over the past month in publications including Het Parool, Dagblad van het Noorden, De Ondernemer, BNR Nieuwsradio, and Quote.