The Horn Coffee: Ahmed Sayid

For Ahmed Sayid and his siblings, The Horn Coffee has represented their little piece of the American Dream. Ahmed’s family settled in Nashville after escaping persecution in Somalia. Serving fresh chai and Somali finger food to the diverse communities along Murfreesboro Pike, The Horn Coffee gives Ahmed a space to proudly show both his American and Somali identities.

Ahmed first began making Somali food from a young age, helping his entrepreneurial father sell samosas to local restaurants and mosques. In 2015, Ahmed and his brothers started The Horn Coffee to give their hard-working father a place he can call his own. It is a family business through and through; Ahmed and his brothers run day-to-day operations, his mother and sister make the pastries, and his father works mornings at the café.

After having their highest selling months in January and February of this year, the pandemic struck, challenging The Horn. Many of their usual clientele were business professionals in the area who used the space for light snacks and meetings. Third party delivery services like UberEats cut too much into their profit margin to be worth doing. Nonetheless, The Horn continues to push forward. They have received enormous support from the Somali community that has been with them since they started five years ago. Ahmed even has plans to grow into the next-door space, where he will serve Somali fusion meals.

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