How Kahawa 1893 Brewed a Shark Tank-Worthy Customer Experience with SupportHire
Running a business is hard. Running a purpose-driven, women-led coffee brand with deep roots in East African heritage, while scaling eCommerce? Even harder.
When you’re managing everything from logistics to marketing, your support inbox shouldn’t be the thing that keeps you up at night.
That’s exactly where Kahawa 1893 found themselves: orders were growing, their story was resonating, but their small team couldn’t keep up with customer service.
Instead of stretching their internal resources thin, they partnered with kim.cc & SupportHire to scale smarter. Here’s how they transformed their customer experience using AI-powered, human-led support.
The Problem: Growing Sales, Bursting Inbox
Kahawa 1893 isn’t your typical coffee company. They work directly with women farmers in Kenya, reinvesting into their communities while delivering high-quality beans to U.S. consumers.
Their story caught fire. So did the orders. But with growth came:
- A flood of customer queries, order updates, tracking issues, shipping concerns
- Wholesale and partnership inquiries
- Support tasks draining their core team’s bandwidth
They tried:
- Freelancers on various platforms – but ended up spending more time managing
- Onshore hires – too expensive and slow to onboard
They needed scalable eCommerce customer support that wouldn’t dilute their brand voice, or drain their budget.
The Solution: Partnering with SupportHire
Through kim.cc, Kahawa 1893 was matched with a pre-vetted customer support agent from SupportHire.
There were no contracts, no long onboarding, and a risk-free trial, allowing them to test the waters without a full-time commitment.
And the difference was immediate.
What Made the Difference
This wasn’t just outsourcing. It was outsourcing done right. Here's why the partnership succeeded:
1. Human Support That Felt On-Brand
The agent didn’t just handle tickets, they became an extension of the brand. Trained in Kahawa 1893’s tone, products, and values, their responses felt authentic and personal, not robotic or canned.
“We didn’t lose control of our voice, we finally had time to use it where it mattered most.” - Corey Stary (VP Revenue and Ops - Kahawa 1893)
What Customers Say About Kahawa 1893
Providing great customer support isn’t just a claim, it’s backed by what real customers are saying.
Kahawa 1893 consistently earns 4.6+ star ratings across platforms like Amazon, Google, Trustpilot, and Junip. That’s a testament to the care they put into every interaction.
High-touch support isn’t just a nice-to-have clearly it’s a business advantage.
2. Reduced Internal Load Without Micromanagement
With SupportHire’s managed remote staffing, the team no longer had to juggle shift schedules or micromanage freelancers. That freed up 15+ hours a week across marketing, ops, and leadership.
3. Scalable Support for High-Growth Moments
From promotions to holidays, support volume spikes are inevitable. Now, Kahawa 1893 could scale up coverage quickly, with no compromise on quality or speed.
Result: Response time cut by 40%, ticket backlog eliminated, and customer satisfaction scores improved significantly.
Lessons for DTC and Ecommerce Founders
If you're running a fast-growing DTC brand, here’s what Kahawa 1893’s journey can teach you:
1) Hire Before You Burn Out
Waiting too long to get help? That’s a costly mistake. Proactive support scaling protects your CX and team health.
2) Outsourcing Doesn’t Mean Losing Control
With the right partner, you gain control, freeing up bandwidth while staying true to your brand.
3) Tech + Talent = Peak Performance
AI-powered help desks are useful, but nothing replaces a trained human rep who can manage nuance, emotion, and brand tone.
Can AI Replace All of This? Not Even Close.
AI virtual assistants and chatbots are excellent for automating FAQs, routing tickets, and keeping inboxes moving. But they can’t replace human empathy, intuition, or personalised service, specially for emotionally sensitive or complex issues.
That’s why we recommend a hybrid support model: one that blends the best of automation with the value of trained human reps. If you’re unsure where to draw that line, it helps to audit your support flow to see which tasks AI can handle and which still need a human touch.
Here’s how brands like Kahawa 1893 approach it:
- Automation via tools like Gorgias, kim.cc, or Help Scout for simple, repetitive queries
- 24/7 live chat outsourcing to cover support gaps
- SupportHire’s reps to handle brand-aligned, high-emotion, or high-impact conversations
Use AI for speed. Use humans for relationships. That’s how you scale with soul.
Final Thoughts: Want Shark Tank-Level Support Without Shark Tank Costs?
Kahawa 1893 didn’t just survive eCommerce growth, they scaled smart, improved their customer experience, and reclaimed their internal time.
With SupportHire, they achieved:
- Faster replies and 40% lower response times
- No more ticket backlogs
- Happier customers and a more focused internal team