Akwaaba
The Art of a Good Welcome
Know Your Guests. Welcome Them Well.
Akwaaba helps hospitality organizations turn guest insights into better food, sourcing, service and guest experiences".
Hospitality starts with knowing who walks in.
Akwaaba is a Ghanaian word for “welcome.”
The name reflects our belief that genuine hospitality is about more than opening the door. It is about understanding who your guests are, what they value, and what will make them feel considered and comfortable.
We turn that understanding into better experiences, stronger customer relationships and new business opportunities.
- Guest and hospitality assessments
- Food and culinary consultation
- Local and specialty food sourcing
- Cultural understanding and staff training
- Inclusive guest amenities
- Event and wedding hospitality strategy
- Partnerships and product solutions
The guests are here. Will they choose you?
Communities across Minnesota are looking for places to host weddings, conferences, graduations, family gatherings, cultural celebrations and corporate meetings.
Hotels and venues have the chance to become the places these customers actively choose. Akwaaba helps you align food, sourcing, service, staff knowledge and guest amenities with the people you want to attract and serve.
Better hospitality is good business.
Five steps from insight to welcome.
ASSESS
Know Your Guest.
We review your property, your events business and the guests you serve or want to serve.
Source
Find What They Need.
We connect you with Minnesota farmers, specialty producers and global suppliers.
Taste
Serve With Intention.
We develop and taste menus with your team, so the food is right before guests ever see it.
Understand
Equip Your People.
We share cultural context and guest insight through practical staff training.
Welcome
Design the Experience.
Food, service, amenities and events come together in an experience guests return to.
Ingredients with a story and a source.
Akwaaba helps hospitality organizations identify and source global ingredients, specialty foods, local products, guest amenities and distinctive products that can strengthen menus and create memorable guest experiences.
From Minnesota farmers to global specialty distributors and importers, we connect hospitality organizations to products that fit their guests, concept, operation and budget.
A better experience for every guest.
When guests feel understood, they stay longer, book again and tell others.
Akwaaba helps teams recognize differences in preferences, traditions and expectations; and turn that knowledge into practical hospitality.
Small details guests remember.
Thoughtful products signal that a property has considered its guests.
Akwaaba helps hospitality organizations identify distinctive products and amenities that align with their guests and create memorable moments—from locally made products to globally connected offerings such as Just Shea.
The people behind Akwaaba.
Chef Isaac Owens
Executive Chef, Kalahari Foods
Culinary Strategist, Food & Hospitality Leader and Global Food Practitioner with more than three decades of experience in food service and hospitality across Africa, Europe and North America. His culinary foundation began in Ghana with his mother, Martha, a nutritionist who taught him the importance of herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and traditional foods. Read more
Rosemond Sarpong Owens
Marketing Manager, Kalahari Foods
Rosie is a Cultural Inclusion Strategist, Hospitality Experience Strategist and Systems Thinker. She helps hospitality teams understand their guests and turn that insight into better service and repeat business. Read more
Rooted in Minnesota, connected to the world.
Our families come from Ghana, and we have lived on three continents. Today we work from Minnesota, and that shapes how we cook, source and host.
Sourcing from local farmers and producers keeps value in the community and food fresh on the plate. Our global connections bring specialty ingredients and products to your guests, with a clear story behind each one.
Organizations that host guests.
Let’s talk about your guests.
Tell us about your property or venue and we will be in touch to plan a consultation.