Ajoa Mintah (BASc ’01) has always had a force driving her forward in her life and career. “Part of what I tell myself is that I can do anything and everything, even when I’m at a disadvantage.”
From an early age, Mintah’s mother told her that, as a Black woman, she would have to work three times harder than her peers. She also gave Mintah advice that would serve her throughout her career: “Never say no to yourself.”
After working as a chemical engineer for more than a decade, Mintah approached a crossroads. "I got to a point with my work where I hit a ceiling. I knew I wouldn’t be able to break through as a Black woman. So, I had a choice to make. Am I going to work for someone else and keep trying to break through or build my own house?
“The biggest question I had for myself was, ‘What’s stopping me from doing this?’ I realized I didn’t have to play by someone’s arbitrary rules in my career.”
I got to a point with my work where I hit a ceiling. I knew I wouldn’t be able to break through as a Black woman. So, I had a choice to make. Am I going to work for someone else and keep trying to break through or build my own house?
Mintah’s love for homemade ice cream began during a heat wave when she bought an ice-cream maker instead of an air conditioner. She founded Four All Ice Cream in 2016 and is committed to sourcing local, sustainable and healthy ingredients. Four All’s ice cream factory is in the old Bonnie Stuart shoe factory on Whitney Place in Kitchener. There is also a Four All ice cream shop in Uptown Waterloo.
Process is everything
What may look like a dramatic career change, was actually change set in motion during her undergraduate degree. For Mintah the through-line for her career has always been process.
“I’m a chemical engineer – we design processes for how things are made. It can be applied to everything.”
“Even with Four All, people wanted to know about flavours and I was more concerned with the how of each and every process behind taking raw ingredients and creating something great.”
Problem-solving and creating processes are skillsets Mintah says she learned in Waterloo’s chemical engineering program and during co-operative education jobs. "Every co-op experience let me design, describe, document and develop processes, which was crucial for success in my corporate career and for Four All," says Mintah. Even with Four All, people wanted to know about flavours and I was more concerned with the how of each and every process behind taking raw ingredients and creating something great."
Future-Ready Talent Framework
Ajoah Mintah says: "Every co-op experience let me design, describe, document and develop processes, which was crucial for success in my corporate career and for Four All."
