Palava Fine Foods

What they do

Palava Fine Foods is an immigrant- and family-owned USDA- and FDA-licensed food facility in Colorado. Peter and Harriet Nganga started African restaurant “The Palava” in 2007. The traditional Palava Hut is a village’s central meeting place where guests are welcome, differences are settled, and communication flows. Their home has always been a place to gather, relax, and share food and life experiences. With the kitchen being the heart of their home, they wanted to share their kitchen and family’s recipes with the world.

Restaurant customers loved The Palava’s samosas so much that they started producing frozen versions for people to prepare in their own homes. That pivot helped the Ngangas and their workers to weather economic changes early in the COVID-19 pandemic. With first-hand experience as immigrant entrepreneurs, they are naturally inclined to provide newcomers with stable employment and have nurtured this as a core of Palava Fine Foods’ ethos.

Why we invested

Palava Fine Foods has a mission to share its delicious food with the world. Peter and Harriet emphasize having Colorado-based immigrants and refugees as part of their team. One of the reasons Mission Driven Finance invested in Palava Fine Foods through our People on the Move strategy is because they are intentionally improving the lives of immigrants. At the time of investment, 100% of Palava’s workers are immigrants or refugees.

With this new investment, Palava plans to deliver on a large purchase order with a big wholesale retailer and fulfill various operational needs.