Lebanon's 'home away from home'

Koullouna
Lebanon (Beirut)

Koullouna is a box of goodness made in Lebanon that supports the local ecosystem. Through a subscription, it aims to connect Lebanese living abroad to their country – and contribute to the country’s development from afar.

Each box contains a mix of handpicked local products and, most importantly, every month it supports a different initiative that has a positive impact on Lebanon. Boxes have a surprise theme and are accompanied by a booklet full of stories, facts and curated content around that.

When founder Marielle Khayat left Lebanon in 2011 to continue her studies abroad, she kept a very strong bond with her country. Since then, she has been convinced that being far doesn’t mean being disconnected and has a burning desire to contribute to Lebanon’s development: “I work in the entrepreneurship and innovation field in Paris, which inspires me to look at things from a different perspective and think of creative solutions to problems,” she explains.

“From abroad I was seeing all these local Lebanese initiatives that were pushing the country forward and spreading hope and positivity. I wanted to get involved but it was very hard to do that from far away.” Marielle decided to create a channel between expats and their homeland to create a virtuous cycle of goodness.

In May 2017, Koullana sent the first prototype box to expats in Paris, New York, Dubai, Beirut and Marseille. This edition was around the ‘coffee ritual’ theme. In the box, you could find all the things that remind you of Sundays at grandma’s: black coffee, orange blossom, the flowery coffee cups and the rakwé (small conical shaped saucepan with a pouring spout).

After a year of experimenting, testing, measuring and developing the Koullouna box, they are currently crowdfunding so this piece of Lebanese goodness can be made be available to everyone and and start having an impact on the country. “Koullouna is not just for Lebanese expats. It’s for anyone that wants to experience Lebanon from far and support the great things that are happening in the country.”

AtlasAction:  Pre-order your subscription box.

Written by

Marielle Khayat, Founder of Koullouna (10 October 2017)

Bio

Marielle lives in Paris and works in Innovation Consulting. She is convinced that being far doesn't mean being completely disconnected. She has a burning desire to keep a link with the land that raised her, and to contribute to Lebanon's development.

Project leader

Marielle Khayat, Founder and Pascale Comaty and Joseph Sayegh, team members

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