Coffee Cartels, Korean Hustlers & Charlie Sheen - Young Park & Mike Okara | Coffee Pump (E098)

Konnichiwa Fam, On E098, I sit down with Mike Okara and Young Park from Gold Rock International and Masai Coffee for a conversation around coffee, Korean entrepreneurship, Kenyan business culture, and building brands from scratch. We get into the hidden side of Kenya’s coffee industry, colonial-era regulations, coffee cartels, roasting, specialty coffee, and why Kenyan coffee is considered some of the best in the world. We also get into Korean culture, immigration, military history, conspiracy theories, business lessons, and the realities of entrepreneurship in Kenya. And much, much more. Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Our Sponsors: ANDO - Download the Ando app: https://linktr.ee/ando_foods - Get 10% off your order using the code COFFEEPUMP10 Camera's Africa - Website: https://www.camerasafrica.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerasafrica_/ Find Young and Mike: - Young's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/young._.parks/ - Gold Rock International - https://www.goldrockinternational.com - Masai Coffee Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/masai_coffee_ke/ - Masai Coffee Instagram 2 - https://www.instagram.com/masaicoffee/ - Young's first short film: https://youtu.be/FvoIAJdTUAQ?si=UfU1d4Ibx-u3-64I Find our host Sajid Vayani: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani 0:00 - Intro 0:15 - Subscribe To The Channel 0:40 - Cameras Africa (New Coffee Pump Podcast Sponsors) 1:22 - Ice Breaker With The Guests 2:06 - Coffee Pump Partnering With Maasai Coffee 3:27 - Young Introducing Himself & Gifting Saj 4:40 - Mike Introducing Himself 5:17 - The Process Of Making Coffee From The Farm To The End Product 7:50 - Gold Rock Genesis & Its Products In The 90's 8:45 - Gold Rock Founder ( Young's Dad )Escaping The Gwangju Massacre 11:51 - Young's Dad Setting Up A Telecommunication Company, Synthetics, Leather & Duty Free Shop In Kenya 13:55 - Young's Dad Setting Up Maasai Coffee Brand 14:54 - Young's Dad Research On Inconsistencies In Coffee & Colonialism Effect On Coffee Farming Business 17:09 - Process Of Getting A Coffee Farming & Processing License 19:58 - Coffee Cartel Business In Kenya 22:13 - Young's Dad Setting Coffee Vending Machines & Setting Up Shop At The Airport 23:50 - Why Coffee Brands Switch From Quality To Quantity & Lose Control Along The Way 25:09 - Young's Dad Getting Coffee Roasting Training In Italy 26:33 - Process Of Setting Up A Coffee Roastery In Kenya 30:27 - Factors That Influence The Quality Of Coffee Berries 32:47 - Difference Between Kenyan Coffee & Ethiopian Coffee 33:25 - Difference Between Arabica & Robusta Coffee 35:06 - Coffee Auction Process 36:44 - Maasai Coffee Relationship With Local Farmers 38:36 - Logic Behind Coffee Roasting 42:14 - Maasai Coffee's Different Blends 44:33 - Coffee Pump's Proposed Coffee Blend Names 46:09 - Conditioned Colonial Coffee Grading System In Regards To Size 49:23 - Tea Blends & How Dawa Tea Is Made 51:18 - Extreme Tea Regulations In Kenya & Social Engineered Tea Culture 54:38 - White Labelling Concept & Coffee Exports 56:28 - Mike's University Days, Studying Software Engineering In Malaysia & Travelling The World 1:00:59 - Mike's Experience In Maldives 1:02:12 - Mike Touring Africa 1:03:27 - Comparison Between Kenya & Nigeria 1:05:02 - Mike Coming Back To Kenya & His Failed Power Plant Business 1:06:08 - Kenya's Renewable Power Generation Business, PPA's & Its Cartels 1:08:47 - Mike Exits The Energy Sector & Pivots To Farming 1:10:34 - Mike On Joining Maasai Coffee & Understanding The Business 1:11:22 - How Saj Makes His Coffee & Introduction To Coffee Drinking 1:12:48 - Coffee Grading 1:13:28 - Mike Curating A Business Model At Maasai Coffee 1:14:45 - Barista Mastery Course At Maasai Coffee 1:16:27 - How To Register For The Barista Mastery Course 1:16:59 - Young's Upbringing & His Artistic ; Creative Debut 1:18:55 - Young's Experience In The Military, Weapons Handling, Guns 1:23:21 - DEFCON 4 & 5 In North & South Korea 1:24:18 - Young's Culture Shock In South Korea & Comparison Between Kenya &Korea 1:25:52 - Process Of Travelling To South Korea As A Kenyan 1:26:36 - Young Doing Normal Jobs After Military Training & Developing A Solid Work Ethic 1:29:11 - Young's Filmmaking Debut & Making Music Videos 1:33:45 - Young's Dad Music Career & His Artistic Mind 1:35:02 - Saj's Short Film Proposal & His Acting Career 1:36:19 - Get In Touch With The Guests, Barista Hub & Partings Shots 1:37:49 - Outro