January 31, 2017
11:12 am
Ethiopian shoe designer hopes for repeat success with coffee
Source: CNN
By Bianca Britton | CNNMoney
Bethlehem Alemu’s shoes have been sold worldwide by Amazon (AMZN, Tech30), Urban Outfitters (URBN) and Whole Foods (WFM). When she started her business the Ethiopian accountant had much more modest ambitions.
“I wanted to do something that would give me job opportunities myself and the people around me,” Alemu said. “I immediately thought ‘I have to start a small business!'”
Alemu felt she had to do something about unemployment and poverty in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
So she quit her day job in 2005 and founded SoleRebels, which turns scraps of rubber from old tires and other recycled material into stylish footwear.