When I first joined the NIIC 2 Fund straight out of university, Karma Coffee was the very first portfolio company I was assigned.
Fresh into my first role in private equity, I expected spreadsheets, investment memos, and long meetings about financial models. And sure, there was plenty of that. But with Karma, something felt different from the start.
From the moment I sat down with Brigit, the founder, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical client relationship. We weren’t just talking about coffee, we were talking about dignity, identity, and how Nepal could position itself not just as a grower, but as a storyteller in the global coffee trade.
I remember one meeting vividly.
We were with a website consultant, brainstorming ways to improve customer engagement. The consultant suggested a royalty point system, “A smart way to increase repeat purchases and boost profits,” he said.
Brigit paused, looked at us, and said:
“That’s not how we think here.”
“If we’re going to create a point system, it won’t be for every purchase. It’ll be for customers who bring back their coffee bags for a refill. I want to reward people who care, not just people who buy.”
That moment hit me.
It flipped the logic I’d been taught in business school. Profit wasn’t the priority, values were.
And those values run deep at Karma.
They are not only crafting a high-quality product, but building a radically transparent supply chain, one where pricing is clear, traceable, and fair. From the farmer to the final cup, technology has been woven into their operations to ensure producers are not left in the shadows.
We’re now supporting them in expanding their e-commerce capabilities and building a global presence. From carbon-conscious logistics to reusable packaging incentives, their approach to growth is deeply rooted in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. They aren’t scaling just to sell more, they’re scaling to make the coffee value chain more equitable, ethical, and sustainable.
Finance for good isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a belief.
That if we back the right founders, the right values, and the right ideas, we don’t just grow businesses.
We grow trust.
We grow dignity.
And sometimes, we help rewrite stories that were long overdue for a change.
Karma Coffee will always be special to me. Not just because they were my first client, but because they showed me what’s possible when capital and conscience walk hand in hand.
