When Kotiande Yomo set out to turn his passions into purpose, he knew he needed more than just ambition. Inspired by his parents’ entrepreneurial journey and driven by a desire to help others, he began looking for a way to bring his ideas to life. He’d find the tools and support he needed through Centennial College’s Business Marketing program. With hands-on business courses, knowledgeable instructors, and a focus on real-world experience, the program helped him develop essential skills in branding, communication, market research, and digital marketing.
That foundation empowered Kotiande to launch PiliPili, his own spice brand that celebrates African culture and promotes healthy eating, which you can even buy at Centennial College’s restaurant, The Local. It also led to the creation of a cooking show he developed to showcase how spices from his brand can be used in culturally diverse dishes, and a hands-on culinary education program for high school students, the Spice Master Bootcamp. Through these projects, Kotiande is sharing his story, educating others, and creating opportunities for community engagement through entrepreneurship. Here’s the recipe for his success:
The first ingredient: Business
“When I was 10, my Mom and Dad took a chance to start a business,” Kotiande says about his parents, who immigrated to Canada from the Congo DRC. “They didn't have any money saved up for it whatsoever, but they took a chance and bet on the skills they were able to learn throughout life, and they've been able to do it.” That early example of risk, planted something in Kotiande.
“That entrepreneurial spirit has been embedded within the family,” he says. “When I saw that, and grew to see how society functions and how things go, I found interest in helping people find what they want.” Over time, that interest became a purpose.
“I could be the source of their means in terms of providing them with a product or a service that they would need,” he says. “That drove me to educate myself on business, and understand the exchange of goods, products and services. I feel like we all participate in this within society. We participate in trading, we participate in selling, we participate in helping and highlighting aspects of all human life.”
The second ingredient: Marketing
But understanding business was just the beginning. Another interest began to take shape for Kotiande, sparked through the power of storytelling and advertising on screen.
“Growing up watching television, I was struck and very intrigued by these infomercials from World Vision,” Kotiande says. “World Vision had a campaign for a couple of years showcasing kids that had no parents, kids that were in famine in Africa. I'm watching them through TV, and I can go and drink water when I want, eat when I want, when I open the fridge.”
“My dad said, you know, son, this is marketing,” he continues. “This is how they are able to make you understand the severity of certain situations that happen on Earth. This is a plea for them to actually get you to focus, concentrate and inquire about what’s going on, for you to help.” That moment changed how Kotiande saw his future.
“Learning that made me want to study marketing,” he says, “because I knew with marketing, I'd be able to share my story. With marketing, I'm able to highlight other people, too. And given the fact that I'm a Scarborough native, it was only right for me to go to Centennial College, based on the history of the college, based on the importance of what the college has been able to do for other folks that I met who graduated from there.”
The third ingredient: Education
Once enrolled in Centennial’s Business Marketing program, Kotiande found himself immersed in a career-focused curriculum that helped him develop both practical and creative skills.
“I've learned so many things at my time at Centennial College,” he says. “I've learned professional selling. I've learned how to create a website in literally a couple days, really quickly, I've learned how to do intensive research, taking classes that indulged into marketing analytics. I was able to study and get a certificate on Environics, which helps you collect data on individuals you'd like to target or speak to.” But of all the skills he picked up, one stood above the rest.
“Communication would be number one,” he says, “because communication deals with conveying a message, and having a level of emotional intelligence.”
The last ingredient: The spices
Let’s back up a minute, and talk about PiliPili, and how it came to be, because that’s what he learned business and marketing to promote.
“In 2016, at 20, I got really sick, and I had surgery done on my lower intestine,” Kotiande says. “That led me to rethink my whole life, rethink how I eat, and how I think.”
“I told myself that I'll be more conscious and aware of what I eat,” he continues. So, when I was home for a couple weeks, I took it upon myself to learn how to cook. At that time, I turned vegan. I had to learn how to make vegetables taste good, and that was my first challenge. How do I make vegetables taste good? How do I bring back the meaty, hearty taste I want? That started my journey into learning how to utilize spices and the three different components of seasoning to enhance the food, explore my favorite flavor profiles, and learn more about the many benefits.” The result of that culinary curiosity eventually became PiliPili, his small business in the form of a spice brand.
“I wanted to go ahead and showcase that love and that understanding to everybody,” he says about PiliPili. “The name is used in over 15 languages in Africa. PiliPili means spicy. I wanted to use that name to replicate and pay homage to my upbringing, and that's also why I started a cooking show.
Sharing the dish
What began in his kitchen eventually made its way to the screen, in the form of his revamped cooking program, In The Mix (formerly known as Kitchen on Road), which you can watch on YouTube.
“The cooking show was a way for me to showcase how spices I sell on my website can be used on culinary dishes,” Kotiande says. “I also wanted to teach myself how to cook certain dishes from different cultural backgrounds.” That led to a hands-on experience: The Spice Master Bootcamp, where his passion for food, education, and community outreach came together.
My passion to showcase the importance of spices, seasonings, herbs and knowing the difference is what got me involved.” he says. Through a partnership with the Peel District School Board, he brought the program to Rick Hansen Secondary School in Mississauga.
“I've been able to work with 14 students,” he says. “They were able to learn about the benefits, the key differences, and they were able to trust the quality and value of the spices after visiting the facility that helps me bring the spices to the community, the East India Company! They were actually the first Indian store to open in Toronto, and they’ve been such an important factor in the rise of PiliPili Spices!” He’s also quick to credit the people who helped bring the bootcamp to life.
“I want to give a shout out to my creative director Merveille,” he says. “She's been able to help cultivate The Spice Master Bootcamp with me as a program co-ordinator in partnership with Kay the co-founder of Swiirl, a community powered creative platform. I really want to give a shout out to them!”
How Centennial College Helped
Through it all, Kotiande’s education at Centennial College remained the foundation of his success.
“The college was very significant in educating me on how to market myself, and also create my brand,” Kotiande says. “From the business classes, from the marketing classes, from professional selling, from marketing analytics, all of those classes were the basis of what helped me do the research, and grow my brand. And I want to say thank you for the college to have given me the chance to shoot an episode for In The Mix.” That episode even featured one of the College’s own culinary experts.
“We shot an episode with The Local’s executive chef, Lilian Cardoso,” he says. “She's been amazing, and I can't wait to bring that episode out. The episode was shot and directed by fellow Centennial College alumni, London, through his production company Setinfilm.” It premiered today, so you can give it a look right here:
(Web Team: Once it’s live, I’ll send the link to finish this).
And his PiliPili spices? They’re now available on campus. “The college has also been able to help me in terms of having the spices available for the students and faculty at the college at The Local café,” he continues. “That's been a superb, amazing opportunity.”
Get with the Program
In the end, everything ties back to something Kotiande calls “the program.”
“The program is information and knowledge,” Kotiande says. "No one is bigger than the program in anything that you want to do in life. You have to do the work, seek the information on how to proceed, and do it at a very efficient level. It is superbly important that anybody pursuing anything in your life, you have to go seek the information and do it. Don't be scared to fail, because you will, but you can't give up.”
And that’s exactly what he’s doing, living his mission, one spice, one message, and one student at a time.
“I'm an individual that's chasing their dreams and doing everything I can to make them happen,” he says. “I want the world to be more conscious and aware of what they put in their food and what they're ingesting, because we can't go a day without putting food into our stomach.”
“Marketing has helped me convey my messages,” he concludes. “And it has helped me find a way to express myself creatively in so many ways. Centennial College has played a tremendous part in my success, in my development in business and in my education, and it has played a very important part to my life.”
Kotiande Yomo’s story is a powerful example of what’s possible with the right support and education. If you're ready to turn your ideas into a thriving brand or launch a meaningful career, Centennial College’s Business Marketing program can give you the tools to get started. With a strong focus on entrepreneurship, branding, and digital strategy, it’s the ideal pathway for creative thinkers with big ambitions. Enroll today and take the next step toward your future. And while you’re at it, check out PiliPili spices at The Local café, and stream In The Mix on YouTube to see how far a great idea, and a great education, can take you.
By Anthony Geremia