We recently had the opportunity to interview Yanze Kontchou, CEO of Kontch’s E & E GmbH. Starting from cultivation to providing the perfect cup, Yanze’s brand (KONTCH’s) creates tailor-made coffee according to customer requirements. Ranging from Arabica, Robusta, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Lightly to heavily roasted, Kontch’s E & E GmbH offers every kind of coffee, adapting to the taste of clients.
With chemical-free agriculture, polycultures, and renewable energy, Yanze Kontchou company focuses on nature and environmental protection, reflecting its sustainable approach. In this insightful session, the CEO shares about the business, its origin, and visions for becoming a successful leader, and offers advice for aspiring professionals in this field.
The Beginning
We started the interview by asking, “Could you share some background about yourself, including your early life and educational journey?”
Yanze Kontchou replied, “I have a background in Biology (Doctorate + Habilitation) and have worked over 25 years in Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Companies in Switzerland occupying various positions in research & Development, Technical Operations, and finally in overall management, namely Business continuity and Risks Management. I made the change in 2018 by creating my own business around coffee, controlling the end-to-end process.”
Presence Of Yanze’s Company
We were interested to learn more about Yanze Kontchou’s business and its role. So, we asked, “Can you tell us more about your company and its role in your region?”
Yanze Kontchou shared, “Our coffee culture started 70 years back with our GrandMa Elisabeth (Mamie Matcha) and has continued with her daughter Emilie, who is now passing the relay to the next generation with Yaya and Magni, both grandchildren of Elisabeth and children of Emilie Kontchou leading the new structure: KONTCH’s E & E GmbH. Elisabeth and Emilie (E & E) inspired us with their hard work, in the spirit of excellence and exclusivity (E & E) in all activities in this tough environment traditionally dominated by men and customer satisfaction.
I am the CEO of KONTCH’s E & E GmbH, and responsible for the Strategy and the business deployment. Our headquarters is located in Switzerland (Kanton Solothurn) in charge of the overall strategy, management, and governance for KONTCH’s E & E GmbH, and is fully responsible for the export market business.”
On Being A Successful Leader
To understand Yanze’s perspective on becoming an efficient industry leader, we asked, “In your view, what qualities define a successful leader in your industry?”
“We are operating 5 farms in different locations in Cameroon and our target is The Development of people and their surroundings through agriculture, ensuring end-to-end control and availability of excellent and exclusive tailor-made products. We grow coffee with love, respecting our people, and the environment and meeting the principles of sustainability and traceability.
We plant, grow, harvest, and roast using the available or developed skills of our people to bring your delightful and unique coffee to our customers. With us, the customers have the possibility of creating their coffee.” Yanze Kontchou responded.
Adaptability To The Technological Advancements
We further asked, “How has your organization adapted to the ongoing digital revolution and technological advancements?”
Yanze Kontchou added, “On the fields, we use nothing special, apart from measuring the parameters that might influence the quality of our product, including light exposure, rainfalls, quality of the soils, and Polyculture as we operate chemical-free agriculture. From the business point of view, as we operate via e-commerce, we need to adapt to the requirements.”
Words Of Wisdom For Beginners
Addressing the beginners, we asked, “What advice would you offer to someone beginning their career in your field?”
Yanze Kontchou concluded, “Be patient, avoid as much as possible the ‘me-too’ approach. The human factor is the most important key to success. You have to train and change ways to make people fit into your approach and strategy. Bear in mind that you will deal with a majority without real education. So, always support and control at all stages.”
Follow Yanze Kontchou on LinkedIn and Meta (facebook)
Find Kontch’s E & E GmbH on LinkedIn, Meta (Facebook) and visit their website https://kontchs.com
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