Making farming cool again, with Cacao Project founder Louise Mabulo

04/02/24 • 33 min

“Maybe your concept of entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be those of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk,” says Louise Mabulo, the founder of The Cacao Project, a restorative agroforestry initiative, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen.T's Chong Seow Wei, the entrepreneur, farmer and chef shares how she went from Masterchef Junior to TED Talk speaker to bringing pride back to farming in Asia.

Show notes:

00:30 The journey of a young farmer, chef, and entrepreneur

01:27 Quick fire questions with Louise Mabulo

02:16 From Wales to the Philippines: a story of homecoming and discovery

03:31 MasterChef Junior and the birth of a passion for chocolate

12:29 The genesis of The Cacao Project: turning crisis into opportunity

23:31 Expanding The Cacao Project and future aspirations

26:05 Personal reflections and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

31:22 Wrapping up: the importance of family and community

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show notes:

00:30 The journey of a young farmer, chef, and entrepreneur

01:27 Quick fire questions with Louise Mabulo

02:16 From Wales to the Philippines: a story of homecoming and discovery

03:31 MasterChef Junior and the birth of a passion for chocolate

12:29 The genesis of The Cacao Project: turning crisis into opportunity

23:31 Expanding The Cacao Project and future aspirations

26:05 Personal reflections and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

31:22 Wrapping up: the importance of family and community

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Five crazy-smart insights from season seven

This week, we pick out five inspiring quotes from the seventh season of Crazy Smart Asia to help you build a better world, better business or better you. Listen for a quickfire highlights reel of crazy-smart perspectives from our guests—from a record-breaking powerlifter to a heel-wearing Japanese monk.

If you enjoyed these short clips, why not go back and listen to the full episodes:

The recipe to keeping the creative flame alive, with André Chiang and Syed Asim Hussain
The power of small steps with impact entrepreneur and mountaineer, Christine Amour-Levar
Bootstrap business to multimillion-dollar fashion brand with Love, Bonito co-founder, Rachel Lim
The key to self-acceptance with Buddhist monk and LGBTQ+ icon, Kodo Nishimura
Raising the bar: Singapore’s record-breaking powerlifter Farhanna Farid on the champion mindset

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Flipping success: the story of building a cult classic burger chain, with MyBurgerLab’s Chin Ren Yi

“In F&B, we love to torture ourselves. But with the pain comes the joy of serving people, seeing people smile while eating their food,” says Chin Ren Yi, the co-founder of MyBurgerLab, a popular burger chain in Malaysia known for its local flavours and charcoal buns, on Crazy Smart Asia. In conversation with Gen.T's Chong Seow Wei, the entrepreneur shares his insights for longevity in his industry, overcoming co-founder split struggles and why focusing on being happy is his number one priority.

Show notes

00:00 Welcome to Crazy Smart Asia: getting to know Chin Ren Yi

01:24 Quickfire questions: the man behind the burger

02:19 Childhood reflections: mimicry, education and family time

05:46 A life-changing moment under the stars: from engineering to F&B

06:46 The introvert's journey to being an extroverted entrepreneur

09:00 The birth of MyBurgerLab

12:28 Marketing masterstroke: the viral charcoal burger

15:50 Challenges of starting a business

20:12 Early F&B experiences and influences

21:35 Crafting a unique burger experience with local flavours

23:23 Defining success through impact and growth