Lisa Curtis
Founder and CEO, Kuli Kuli Foods
Oakland, CA

1. Tell us the story of how your business started. What inspired you to open your doors?

Kuli Kuli started with a simple but life-changing moment. While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, I felt run down and undernourished on a diet of mostly carbs. Women in the community introduced me to moringa by mixing it into a traditional peanut snack called kuli-kuli. I felt the difference immediately. What struck me even more was that this incredibly nourishing plant was already deeply valued locally, but there was very little market demand to help farmers earn meaningful income from it. That sparked the idea for Kuli Kuli: Build a business that could bring the power of superfoods like moringa to more people while creating economic opportunity for the communities growing them.

2. How have you adapted your business to changes in retail, technology or customer expectations?

We’ve adapted by evolving both how we sell and how we communicate. On the retail side, we have expanded from a single hero ingredient into multiple formats that better fit modern consumer habits, including gummies, lattes and functional blends. On the brand side, we have invested in clearer function-forward packaging, stronger digital storytelling and more education around quality, sourcing and efficacy. As customer expectations have shifted toward convenience, transparency and value-driven purchasing, we’ve worked to meet them while keeping the soul of the brand at the center.

3. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as a business owner?

The best advice I’ve received is that you do not have to choose between purpose and scale. In fact, the most resilient businesses are often the ones that know exactly why they exist. For me, that has meant staying anchored in our mission even as we’ve grown: Using business as a tool to make nutrient-dense, climate-smart foods more accessible while building equitable supply chains. Purpose is not a side note to the business. It is the strategy.

Eligibility

Small retail businesses with less than $38 million in annual revenue and fewer than 500 full-time employees. See prohibited product categories.

Selection

NRF will have full discretion in choosing the businesses featured each month.

Promotion

Featured retailers will appear on the NRF Small Retail Business Hub website for the full month. Each spotlight will include written stories about the business and may include video content.

NRF will also promote each business across its social media channels throughout the month. After their spotlight month, featured businesses will remain on the site’s archive page for ongoing visibility.