We hope you’re hungry, ‘splainiacs (okay, wait, this one is actually really good) because today’s episode is full of beans—emotionally and topically. Did you know that expression means ‘lively; in high spirits’? Which works out great because our guest today is the founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins, Ibraheem Basir, and his joyful energy and branding insights will put you in high spirits indeed. 

A Dozen Cousins is a natural (and delightful) food brand making convenient products inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean and Latin American dishes and their first product is a line of authentic, regional beans that are cooked in nutrient-dense avocado oil. Are you getting our ‘full of beans’ reference now? Great. The brand is inspired by his childhood growing up in the culinary melting pot of Brooklyn and is named after his daughter and her 11 cousins. (We, naturally, spend several minutes discussing how fun the name is to say and how much memorability and charisma it exudes.) Prior to launching A Dozen Cousins, Ibraheem obtained his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and served as a Marketing Manager on a number of natural food brands including Larabar and Annie's Organic. 

We chatted with Ibraheem about his ethos of celebrating food as a source of joy and a means of forging connection, and he walked us through how he developed the A Dozen Cousins brand personality from a visual and verbal storytelling perspective. 

Other food for thought and belly laughs included:

• His desire to bring laughter and joy back to the dinner table, and his upbringing with 9 siblings
• Harnessing that ‘inside joke’ playfulness into A Dozen Cousin’s branding
• How when it comes to the natural food space, health and culture and convenience do not have to be at odds 
• The story behind the brand name and logo and why word of mouth is so impacted by the name you choose
• Branding lessons he learned during his time working in marketing for Larabar and Annie’s Organic
• The social impact component central to his company’s mission
• The important role that authenticity plays in using humor in your branding
• His beef with banana pudding 

You can check A Dozen Cousins out at Instagram: @adozencousins or https://adozencousins.com/ 

Minute markers for your skimming pleasure (how dare you):
6:58 Spiller Qs
10:03 Branding Qs