Innovating Forward in San Francisco

How this Bay Area small business turned a superfood snack into a national brand

Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovating-forward-in-san-francisco/id1895773771], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3X5qhoqZLAuFwpYDg3fK4A] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhM5Aa8Bvjqo6d9MY3_Yvysg2XvC-v0t1]or wherever you get your podcasts. The inspiration for Oakland-based superfood company Kuli Kuli [https://www.amazon.com/stores/KuliKuli/page/F7F47374-834B-4F88-AEBB-0BB94BB3D98A?lp_asin=B00Q5K4QHW&ref_=ast_bln&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandlogo_sto] came to Lisa Curtis when she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, Africa. A vegetarian, Curtis found herself eating a diet of mostly carbohydrates, and asked women at the village health center how to increase her protein and nutrient intake. The answer: mixing the leaves from a moringa plant into a popular peanut snack called Kuli Kuli. “It was the most transformational impact I've ever had,” Curtis says. “It gave me more energy. I felt like my digestion improved. It was just incredible.” Kuli Kuli now offers moringa and other climate-smart superfoods as powders, capsules and gummies in about 11,000 stores and online. Curtis shares her journey to entrepreneurship in the premiere episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco. Listen to learn more about how she built ethical supply chains with small farming communities, navigated early funding challenges and leveraged consumer research to refine products. Curtis also discusses the pivotal role Amazon played in accelerating e-commerce growth and providing real time customer insights. In 2025, Amazon independent sellers in California saw about $440,000 in average sales, with more than 831 million items sold, according to data from Amazon. Additionally, more than 60% of sales on the e-commerce platform come from small to medium-sized businesses like Kuli Kuli. Learn more [https://sell.amazon.com/start] about Amazon’s e-commerce services for small businesses.

Introducing: Innovating Forward in San Francisco

Innovating Forward in San Francisco is a podcast about people, progress and possibility in the Bay Area. The podcast highlights Amazon’s investments in the Bay Area through community partnerships, workforce development and support for small businesses. From community impact to individual career journeys, Innovating Forward in San Francisco offers an inside look at how collaboration and innovation can strengthen a regional economy, and help people and businesses move forward together. New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.