Meet Ivanhova Kaufman | Co-Founder of Basquet & Multidisciplinary Creative.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ivanhova Kaufman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ivanhova, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important two lessons that building my own business has taught me are that 1. slow is better and 2. to trust your gut fearlessly.

Oftentimes as a first-time founder, the pressure and noise of external stakeholders, team members, media, and the greatest one of all, yourself, can lead to fast-paced decision making that revolves around short-term goals and results. Allowing yourself to step back and take the time to test different things out and observe the results before committing significant time and resources is so important in the long-term. When you are building something special, time really doesn’t matter.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Basquet is a specialty grocer featuring a carefully curated selection of pantry, snack, wellness, and lifestyle products from both emerging and renowned makers through our online store and in-person pop-up shops. We set out to shake up the grocery shopping experience by bringing joy, discovery, and dietary customization to the forefront of the experience.

Every hand selected product on Basquet embodies the full meaning of quality from ingredients to taste. Our purpose is to inspire a wholesome balance between decadence and wellbeing, nourishment and pleasure, by welcoming our community into a space (both URL & IRL) where they can discover new brands and products in the same way they would shop for any leisure products. Our curation is our special sauce and it’s created for the culinary connoisseur just as much as it is for the wellness & design enthusiast or an everyday grocery shopper.

Beyond just the products, sharing the makers behind them and their stories with our community is another important layer to Basquet. Connection is so important.

Building Basquet has not been easy, to say the least, and it has taken many iterations and pivots to get us on the path that we are on today. We are still learning as we go and everyday brings new challenges, accomplishments, and teachings. I think the most important thing is that regardless of how many pivots we have to make, the core of the company is always the same and our community will always be the driving force behind each decision.

Right now, we are focused on creating in-person experiences in Miami to connect with our customers in a way that’s engaging and experiential. We’ll be announcing our pop-up dates through our IG @shopbasquet.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A friends weekend in Miami for me would look like this:

-Hot yoga at Mimi Yoga or Aerial Yoga at Breakfree Movement
-Coffee & Breakfast at Caracas Bakery
-A trip to Casa de Barcelona, MOE Studio, and a stroll around Miami Design District, there’s always great fashion and design happenings going on.
-The best pastrami sandwich at Krus Kitchen in Coconut Grove
-At home lymphatic drainage with @bodywork_miami and a hydrafacial with @skinkari_official at Skintique in Coral Gables.
-My favorite places for dinner are Osaka and The Surf Club Restaurant.
– Casa Tua in Miami Beach for drinks and atmosphere.
– On Sunday, the best chinese food is at Rainbow Palace in Fort Lauderdale.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Yes, there are so many people who inspired, supported and propelled this journey! My co-founder & COO, Ana, and her experience with food allergies was the driving force behind Basquet’s first iteration. Basquet has now evolved from this focus & business model but it’s still an important part of the brand’s DNA.

My former boss and co-founder & CEO of Maison de Mode, Hassan Pierre, has been a mentor to me since Basquet’s early days as has Butcher Box’s co-founder & former Head of Marketing, Mike Filbey, who so generously lended us his time through our pre-launch phase.

I knew entrepreneurship was part of who I was very early on and have had the opportunity to work closely with many founders since my college days and through the moment we launched Basquet. Each of these founders and their teams have left me with skills and perspectives that I apply everyday.

Lastly, my father, he too is a great entrepreneur and has been my biggest supporter, listener and advisor on the this journey!

Website: www.shopbasquet.com

Instagram: @shopbasquet

Image Credits
Camille Von Simson, @camillevonsimson