We had the good fortune of connecting with Ade // Olumide Oye and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ade // Olumide, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We both worked a combined 24+ years in separate industries, Ade in the Technology and Olumide in the CPG space, leading large companies and start up brands to success. Throughout our careers, we grew interest in taking our experience and knowledge learned along the way, often joking around with the idea of doing something together, in hopes to create our own brand one day. Our hopes turned into a full circle moment of fate after learning more about our family’s farming history in Nigeria during the pandemic.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We both didn’t fully know what we wanted to do in our careers. Our parents did their best to plant seeds in our lives to spark direction. Ultimately, we wanted to do something different. Risk is what changed our lives. Olumide decided to move to Houston right after graduating college to be somewhere warm and around culture to embark on his career journey. After working in the hospitality industry throughout college under the wings of an uncle who owned and was also the head chef of a well-known restaurant in Nashville, Ade decide to jump into the technology industry as an intern which turned into an opportunity to work and live internationally. The biggest lesson learned is that when you take risk, treat rewards as a bi-product rather than an objective. Despite uncertainties of the future, we believed in showing faith and persistence in overcoming adversity. When our original plans for a long-awaited family reunion trip to Nigeria was taken away by the unexpected arrival of the pandemic, the setback turned out to be a life changing moment, turned fate. We decided during that challenging time to open the doors to Oye Coffee as affirmation that together, anything is possible.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
FIrst and foremost, you’ll need more than a week long trip with all of the things to do in Houston! To start, grab a cup of coffee at Tenfold or Luce and brunch at Chapman & Kirby. Depending on the time of the year check out a Astros, Rockets, Dynamos, or Texans game. Head over to The Post where you’ll find ChopNBlok and an amazing array of other food options. There’s plenty of places to shop in the Heights. We also love going to Chinatown where we enjoy mango bowls at Hui Lau Shan and many other fares. At night O2 Lounge and several spots in Midtown.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to give a shout out to our local entrepreneur centers, global farm relationships, and the community! A book we’re reading at the moment is by Marcus Whitney – “Create and Orchestrate”.
Website: oyecoffeeco.com
Instagram: instagram.com/oyecoffeeco
Twitter: twitter.com/oyecoffeeco
Facebook: Facebook.com/oyecoffeeco
Youtube: YouTube.com/oyecoffeeco
Image Credits
Oye Coffee Company, LLC