2023 National Small Business Person of the Year: Abdirahman Kahin, CEO & Owner of Afro Deli & Grill

Vibrant, fresh, high quality food. It's the secret sauce to Afrodelian Grill's success. Founder and CEO Abdi Rahman Kahin immigrated to the US from Somalia when he was just 17 with visions of entrepreneurship on his mind.

I always hear about American dream, that owning your business, become your own boss. That's the mindset I always had in me.

With the support of a SBA microlender, the African Development Fund, Kahin created a fast, casual African eatery, the first of its kind in the Twin Cities.

There was a big challenge in terms of financing, in terms of, you know, bank believing in your ideas. But I was driven by. I had different thoughts about that, how to counter that narrative.

That's what the SBA is there for, right? It helps everybody have the opportunity to deliver that passion, to deliver their experiences. It allows you to build a dream to be able to be a business owner. And I know it can be hard when you're coming from a place where you don't have a lot.

The SPM believed in my vision. Their funding was the foundation to create my business. Without them, I wouldn't be here today. Aprodaily is a vision of a restaurant that weaves community, neighbors and culture. And Minnesota, especially in the Cedar Riverside where I opened, my first restaurant was Melton Pies neighborhood. But restaurants, the African food scene was missing.

After obtaining a number of guaranteed loans through traditional SBA programs facilitated by Highland bank, he's now grown to four locations.

This is the veggie stew. So it's got a base of basmati rice. And basmati rice is very tasty. Then it's got the veggie stew, which is eggplant, zucchin, onions, carrots. Just a bunch of goodness altogether. And even with East African food, there's a lot of British, Italian, French influences that come through in the sauces. It's something that everybody can recognize.

Once you try the food, you're hooked. Issa Sisco was a customer and now she's the catering manager.

It's all an experience here. Like, you get to taste some different food that you've never had and then you get to have good conversations. So that's good. I like when people are happy with the food. Not only the food, but my service. So it goes hand in hand. Good food, good service, you can't beat it.

Service a core value of the business. When the pandemic forced businesses to close its doors, Afrodelli turned to Highland bank, who facilitated a suite of pandemic relief funds. Ppp, the restaurant revitalization fund and Covid idol allowing his business to survive. He donated cooked foods to residents in public housing units and and to other local organizations.

Everybody that I know was wondering how long they're going to last and thanks God the SBA program, the PP loans before we even get the money we became hopeful and this kind of program saves so many small businesses or large businesses in the country and we are very, very thankful.

As he sets his sights on a fifth location in south Minneapolis, he's envisioning something bold and new and is hopeful SBA grants and loans with a mix of public and private funds will bring him his first fine dining restaurant to Minneapolis.

So if you have an idea, you have to believe in yourself and there is more opportunities than challenges. Challenge for me is always a motivation for me because if you don't get challenged you're not going to do well. So so believe in yourself and keep going.