About
Sara Nuru is a German-Ethiopian fashion model, social entrepreneur, and advocate for fair trade. Born on 19 August 1989 in Erding, Bavaria, she burst onto the public stage in 2009 by winning the fourth season of Germany’s Next Topmodel (GNTM), becoming the show’s first Black champion. Her warm charisma, effortless walk, and multilingual fluency (German, English, and a bit of Amharic) made her an instant favorite with both the jury and viewers.
After the show, Nuru quickly realized she wanted more than catwalk fame. In 2016 she and her sister Sali launched nuruCoffee, importing hand-picked Ethiopian beans and paying growers a premium well above standard fair-trade rates. A portion of every sale funds nuruWomen, their non-profit that issues micro-loans to female entrepreneurs in rural Ethiopia. In 2018 Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development named her an official ambassador for fair trade, cementing her role as a bridge between conscious consumers and smallholder farmers.
Before Fame
Nuru’s parents, Hussein and Mulu, emigrated from Ethiopia to Germany in the 1980s, finally settling in Munich when Sara was ten. Growing up between two cultures taught her adaptability: at home she helped prepare traditional coffee ceremonies; at school she juggled basketball practice with part-time jobs in retail. By age 15 a local photographer had invited her to walk a small charity runway, giving her a first taste of the fashion world.
A high-school friend later convinced her to audition for GNTM’s open casting in Munich. Against thousands of hopefuls she advanced week after week, ultimately winning a contract with Heidi Klum GmbH rather than the IMG deal awarded to earlier victors. The victory brought campaigns for Sony Ericsson, Gillette, and Maybelline, as well as runway appearances in London, New York, Milan, and Berlin.
Trivia
- Trailblazer: Nuru is celebrated as the first winner of GNTM with African heritage, inspiring many young Germans of color to consider modeling.
- Coffee Inspiration: Watching farmers during a family trip to Ethiopia sparked the idea for nuruCoffee; she cites the communal ritual of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony as a model for ethical, people-first business.
- Polyglot: Besides German and English, she converses in Amharic and picked up basic Arabic from relatives, making interviews across continents feel effortless.
- Investor on Her Own Terms: Nuru and Sali have repeatedly turned down venture-capital offers that demanded quick scaling, choosing instead to grow organically so social impact stays central.
- Recognitions: She has hosted the German Sustainability Award and regularly appears on panels about women’s empowerment and ethical supply chains.
Family Life
Family is the backbone of Nuru’s ventures. She works daily with her older sister Sali, who oversees sourcing and cooperatives on the ground in Ethiopia, while younger sister Hamdi often helps with marketing campaigns. Their parents remain active cheerleaders, joining launch events and visiting farmers when schedules allow.
Away from the spotlight, Nuru guards her private life fiercely. She married in a quiet ceremony in Zürich in 2023 and welcomed her first child that same year. In October 2024 she announced the birth of her second baby—sharing only a seaside silhouette on Instagram and a simple caption: “Hello world.” She has said motherhood deepens her resolve to create equitable opportunities for other women and their children.
Associated With
Nuru remains closely linked with Heidi Klum, occasionally returning to GNTM as a guest mentor and business-ethics speaker. Her circle also includes fellow show alumna Rebecca Mir, who cheered her pregnancy news online, and countless Ethiopian growers she calls partners rather than suppliers. Inside the fair-trade community she collaborates with Germany’s development ministry and NGOs focused on micro-financing, demonstrating how a reality-TV victory can evolve into long-term social impact.
