Numi is a labor of love by a brother and sister

Meet Our Founders

Numi was founded in 1999 in Oakland, California by brother and sister Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani with a vision to share the transformative, healing power of tea with the world. They named their company after the steeped dried desert lime they drank in their early childhood in Baghdad, Iraq. The tea, numi, which means “citrus” in Arabic, symbolizes hospitality and community. Creative, conscious change-makers, they have introduced little-known herbs and teas to the United States, while advancing human rights and sustainable causes around the globe.

Ahmed Rahim, CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) & Co-Founder

Ahmed is the alchemist behind Numi’s teas, creating unique, innovative, and delicious blends with his tea’m. Before co-founding Numi, he studied theater and psychology in New York City, then spent a decade living, working and traveling in Europe as a professional filmmaker and photographer. He designed and ran 2 teahouses in Prague, where he learned about tea’s culture, ceremonies, and its many health benefits. He speaks English, Arabic, Czech, French and German.

Ahmed has led the way in Numi’s sourcing efforts, traveling extensively to countries of origin and building partnerships with farmers and their communities that have lasted for over 20 years. Always in search of rare, healing plants, he is passionate about sharing new tastes and ingredients with the public. 

 

Ahmed is the co-founder of OSC2 (One Step Closer to an Organic Sustainable Community), JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), and the OSC2 Packaging Collaborative. He chairs the Numi Foundation board and is an advisor and board member to entrepreneurs running sustainable businesses with emerging, innovative products. 

Reem Hassani, CBO (Chief Brand Officer) & Co-Founder

At Numi, Reem oversees brand identity, including all packaging design, brand messaging, and experience. Reem received her BS in Bio Medical Engineering before turning her sites to her passion – art. She received a Diploma d’Arte from Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute in Florence, Italy, and an M.F.A. in Arts & Consciousness Studies from JFK University in California. Reem’s original artwork, inspired by her brother’s photographs, has been a source of inspiration for Numi’s brand vision and packaging. She speaks English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian. 

Reem is a co-creator and contributor to Numi Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to nurture communities so they can thrive. She practices art in her studio in northern Californiaand participates with a group of like-minded artists (arts4action) who raise money annually through the sale of small artworks. Their first two fundraisers supported Numi Foundation’s Together for H2OPE: Ukraine and the purchase of reusable menstrual pads for women and girls in the Tonganagaontea estate in India where Numi purchases it’s organic, fair trade black tea.