Name: Guma Jackson
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn.
Major: Business administration-finance
Position: Small Business Owner of Koja's Cafe
Guma Jackson is a big fan of cinnamon rolls, a sweet treat he often craves, and he is putting his own twist on the classic baked treat and turning it into his own business in the process.
Guma, a University of Wisconsin-River Falls student from St. Paul, Minn., majoring in business administration-finance and graduating on May 4, has started Koja’s Cafe, which specializes in making cinnamon rolls that are anything but traditional.
Instead of a cinnamon-infused roll with icing or frosting on top, Guma bakes rolls that include all sorts of flavors not usually found in the dessert. People eating his rolls enjoy tastes ranging from chocolate strawberry to marshmallow cream to his personal favorite: pink lemonade.
“I love cinnamon rolls, but I got bored eating the same old classic version of them,” Guma said. “So I started coming up with different flavors, different kinds of breading and now different fillings. I wanted to introduce lots of different flavors to this tried-and-true treat.”
It’s not just the cinnamon roll toppings that Guma has altered. He especially enjoys devising creative frostings and includes four or more ingredients in roll toppings.
“I really try to jazz up every single topping,” he said. “There are so many different flavors and flavor combinations you can create.”
Guma worked to develop his rolls and then began marketing them via social media and word of mouth. He began attending weekly farmers markets. Initially sales were modest, he said, but he now sells out at farmers markets. Sometimes people question whether nontraditional cinnamon roll flavors will taste good. But when they try his rolls, most customers are impressed.
“I really love the baking aspect and doing it for other people. My favorite thing is when I see them try it and see their face light up when they taste it,” he said. “People will say ‘How can pink lemonade work as a cinnamon roll? And then they try it, and most people really like it.”
Guma said operating his business while attending school has been challenging at times. He said his coursework and faculty members at UWRF have given him a strong business sense, and he credits Sheri Marnell, director of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center, and Leanne Van Allen, director of graduate programs in the College of Education, Business, and Allied Health, with helping him develop his business. He sometimes produces his rolls at the innovation center.
“I am very thankful for both Sheri and Leanne,” he said. “They really helped me push my business forward. Without them, I wouldn’t be at this point.”
Guma comes by his affinity for food and baking naturally. His parents and sisters love to cook and bake. As a child Guma’s family often cooked and baked together.
“Making food is something we do together,” Guma said, “and it is something we enjoy.”
The business is named in honor of Guma’s influential uncle Majumba Bagurusi, who had a significant positive impact on Guma before dying 10 years ago. The word “Koja” means uncle in the official language of Uganda, the African nation where Guma’s family is from.
Guma hopes to one day make Koja’s Cafe an actual bakery, a location which would serve not only as a place where tasty treats are produced and a way to honor his uncle but as a community gathering site. Before he can do that, he said, he is working to build his customer base enough to justify purchasing a building to house his business.
“I would love to have this be my full-time job,” Guma said. “I would love to have this space that is a bakery and also helps serve as a safe space for my community. And I want my sweet treats to bring people joy.”