Life & Work with Bonnie Kakuda of Auburn Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Kakuda.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My husband and I purchased our first home in Auburn Hills, Michigan and have lived here for 30 years. We have raised three boys and they have all attended the Avondale School District, beginning their elementary school years at Auburn Elementary School. Auburn Elementary is one of the four elementary schools in the school district.

Through the elementary school years, as we got involved in the classroom activities and learned more about the district, we noticed that the need gap was significant. Teachers and parents were hosting food drive and coat drive to help families in need.

In 2012, we started supporting the initiatives that were already developed and continued to build on them along with the community at Auburn Elementary.

Through the years of supporting, we started to realized the following:

1. Not all students need coats. Some need snow pants, boots, pajamas, tennis shoes or other basic needs.

2. One size does not fit all. There were a closet full of coats donated that were not being used because they were the wrong size or gender.

3. Different organizations across the district were doing similar activities but each school could only adopt a few students and there were hundreds of students.

Because of that, we started our non-profit, The Gift of Giving, where our mission is to provide basic needs to Avondale students in need, as well as provide opportunities for Avondale students to reach their full potential.

To provide students with basic needs, we started collaborating with other organizations to make a bigger impact in our district so all students needs are met.

As for helping high school students to reach their full potential, we saw an opportunity to start a coffee business. We wanted to make sure that it was student run so they can learn the about the operations, sales & marketing, and customer interaction, but at the same time, use the profit to fund the Gift of Giving initiative to help kids in need.

In 2016, after a year of learning how to roast with the high school students, a group of 4 started Beans to Bags Coffee Roasting Company. The original group are now in the work force and each year we bring in new students to continue the learning and giving.

Avondale students supporting each other is what this program is doing. Beans to Bags donate over $4000-$6000 by adopting students in December through the annual Gift of Giving Holiday Drive.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Just like any business, there are obstacles.

1. Our coffee is high quality and fresh, so it is a few dollars more per pound than the larger name coffee businesses. If compared to coffee businesses who are freshly roasting coffee for their customers then we are competitively priced.

2. Our sales & marketing is lacking and could use more attention. Companies that purchase our coffee because they believe in our cause.

3. We lost many businesses during COVID and have not recovered.

Our focus is not individual sale (unless we are running an event) but business sales.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My husband is a business consultant. I have been a stay at home mom since 2021 after my first born but my background is in mechanical engineering.

What sets us about? We are volunteers mentoring students in and out of classrooms. During the elementary school years, we donated a lot of our time with hosting science activities in the classroom. Some of the memorable moments were hosting the weekly Little Einstein Science Program, introduce sea life with a Touch Tank, and running a salmon program.

In the high school years, we started Beans to Bags. To see high school students using an industrial size roaster to take green coffee beans to high quality roasts brings so much joy. The most joy is seeing them donating their time to give back to others has been so rewarding.

100% of the profit goes to student scholarships and helping Avondale students.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Auburn Hills because it is small and community based. Auburn Hills has been my home and where my “family” has continue to grow. I have neighbors who have become friends and some are like my extended family.

Besides people, there are two businesses that have been a support for Beans to Bags since the beginning, Family Table and OHM. Through all the obstacles, they have been by our side every step of the way. We are still running this small business because of their support.

We need more businesses to support this local small coffee business so we can continue to give back to families in this area.

Contact Info:

• Other: https://www.giftofgiving-mi.org