The Adams Pavilion, a dusty shopping centre selling aromatic oils, kitschy cushions and costumes in the noisy Sar Bet area of Addis Ababa, is hardly the setting for a flagship shop selling high-value branded shoes to 16 stores around the world, from Singapore to Switzerland to Silicon Valley.
Yet, that is where it all started – from a single outlet in Ethiopia.
Above the din of traffic outside, the diminutive Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, in jeans, a white T-shirt and blue blazer, her hair coiffed into a careless bun, is retelling the genesis of her hugely successful business, soleRebels, ten years ago.
Garden of Coffee founder Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has been invited by Jack Ma / 马云 to be an #ANPI judge this year.
The prize at stake? $1 MILLION USD.
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Garden of Coffee founder and CEO, has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential African women in 2019 by Avance Media.