Rural Villages To Retail Shelves: Superfood Breakthrough Creates A Global Impact with Lisa Curtis, Kuli Kuli Foods

From Peace Corps to Pantry Staple: How Lisa Curtis Built Kuli Kuli and Changed the Way America Thinks About Superfoods

When Lisa Curtis first tasted moringa, she was living in a mud house in a rural village in Niger, exhausted, undernourished, and searching for energy. She was not thinking about starting a food company, let alone launching a national brand. But that single moment, when local women handed her a peanut snack mixed with leaves from a nearby tree, would quietly set the foundation for Kuli Kuli Foods and a new category in the American wellness space.

What began as a personal health transformation soon became a mission. Curtis saw an opportunity not just to introduce Americans to a powerful superfood, but to build a business rooted in equity, sustainability, and respect for the communities that grow it.

A Discovery Rooted in Trust and Tradition

While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, Curtis was struggling. As a vegetarian in a remote village with limited food access, her diet consisted mostly of rice and noodles. She felt depleted and weak, and she turned to the women in her village for help.

“They pulled these leaves off a tree and mixed them into this popular local peanut snack called Kuli Kuli and said, ‘Eat this. It will make you feel better,’” Curtis shared.

Skeptical but desperate, she trusted them. Within weeks, the impact on her health was undeniable.

“It had the most transformative impact on my health of anything I’ve ever taken,” she said.

As she began researching the plant, Curtis learned that moringa was revered across cultures, known as the “miracle tree,” used in Ayurvedic medicine, and consumed throughout Africa and Southeast Asia. What shocked her most was not what moringa could do, but how little awareness of it existed in the United States.

“At 22, I was like, no problem. I’ll just bring moringa to the U.S.,” she said, laughing.

Building a Business Without a Blueprint

Curtis did not come from a family of entrepreneurs. In fact, she jokes that she comes from a family of dentists. What she did have was a sense of unfinished business. Her Peace Corps service was cut short due to security concerns, and she felt a responsibility to give back to the communities that had given her so much.

“I wanted to do something with this amazing plant in a way that benefited small farmers and also provided something meaningful to Americans,” she said.

Before going all in, Curtis took a practical step. She joined another startup to learn the mechanics of building a company from the inside. As the fourth employee, she witnessed rapid growth, fundraising, marketing, and team building firsthand.

“That experience gave me the confidence to launch Kuli Kuli,” she explained.

When she was ready, Curtis began testing products the old fashioned way. She made moringa snacks by hand, recruited friends, and spent weekends at farmers markets surveying customers. She was not just selling, she was collecting data.

“We weren’t trying to sell at farmers markets forever. We were trying to understand if this product had legs,” she said.

The results spoke for themselves. Roughly 20 percent of people who sampled the product purchased it, a remarkably high conversion rate. That data helped her land a meeting with Whole Foods Northern California.

Turning Skepticism Into Science

Introducing a new ingredient to the U.S. market required more than passion. It required proof.

Curtis reached out to Dr. Jed Fahey at Johns Hopkins University, one of the leading researchers studying moringa’s anti inflammatory properties. Together, they compiled scientific research from around the world to support the plant’s safety and benefits.

“We had to put together a 50 page document for the FDA just to sell our first product into Whole Foods,” Curtis said.

Rather than leaning into exaggerated wellness claims, Kuli Kuli took a measured approach.

“We try to speak to what is proven in science, and also acknowledge traditional uses where clinical studies don’t yet exist,” she explained.

This credibility became a cornerstone of the brand.

From Bars to Powders to a National Breakthrough

Kuli Kuli’s first products were moringa bars, designed to make the unfamiliar ingredient approachable. But a pivotal moment in 2014 changed everything.

Curtis appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and overnight, customer behavior made something clear.

“People bought the powder ten to one over the bars,” she said. “They wanted moringa for smoothies. They wanted their greens.”

That single appearance became an unexpected market test. Soon after, Whole Foods expanded Kuli Kuli nationally, launching moringa powder in stores across the country in 2016.

Scaling, however, came with challenges. Curtis recalls driving from Sacramento to Fresno, store by store, personally convincing Whole Foods locations to carry the product.

“I would stand there, pass out samples, and talk to customers,” she said. “That was blood, sweat, and tears.”

Even today, those relationships matter.

“People at Whole Foods still remember me as the girl who chopped bars and passed out samples,” she said. “They love the brand because they were part of the beginning.”

Impact Beyond the Shelf

Kuli Kuli’s mission has always extended beyond profit. The company is a Certified B Corp and sources from smallholder farmers across seven countries, prioritizing women led cooperatives and climate smart agriculture.

“Moringa is a tree. It thrives in hot, dry places and grows with very little water,” Curtis explained. “That makes it powerful for both people and the planet.”

Kuli Kuli reinvests 10 percent of its profits back into sourcing communities. Rather than dictating how funds should be used, the company asks local partners what would make the greatest impact.

“We’ve funded clean drinking water for schools, solar power for birthing clinics, and nutrition programs using moringa,” Curtis said.

When disaster struck and a key farm in Ghana was destroyed by wildfire just as Whole Foods requested a nationwide launch, Curtis faced a defining moment.

“I realized you can have a clear vision without being rigid about the path,” she said. “There is often more than one way to achieve impact.”

What’s Next for Kuli Kuli

Today, Kuli Kuli products are available in over 11,000 stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart. The brand has expanded beyond moringa into other climate smart superfoods like baobab and hibiscus, and Curtis is especially excited about what comes next.

“We’re launching products focused on women’s health,” she shared. “Hormonal balance, sexual wellness, using full food ingredients rooted in ancient wisdom.”

It feels like a natural evolution for a women led company built on listening, trust, and long term thinking.

If Lisa Curtis’s journey proves anything, it is that innovation does not always start in a lab or a boardroom. Sometimes, it starts with listening to women in a village, trusting nature, and being brave enough to follow an idea all the way home.

Listen to the Episode and Explore Kuli Kuli

🎧 Listen to Lisa Curtis’s full conversation on The Wild Party Podcast to hear her story in her own words, including the pivots, the data, and the moments that shaped Kuli Kuli.

🛒 Explore Kuli Kuli Foods and shop their moringa powders, gummies, and superfood lattes at
👉 https://www.kulikulifoods.com

This episode is a reminder that business can nourish people, communities, and the planet, all at the same time.