MEET MAGBE SAVANE OF MAKOMAS IN REVERE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Magbè Savané.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story begins many years ago in the country of my birth, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa. Some of my earliest memories are of helping my mother blend the most delicious tasting juices that she made using family recipes handed down through the generations. My mother’s skill in creating these juices became critically important when my father died suddenly and she had to find a way to support me and my four sisters. From that point on, my mother enlisted my help from start to finish. I helped my mother in the kitchen and then, when people lined up outside our home, I helped sell those juices.

Now that I live in the United States, I am motivated to share my love of these drinks with my American friends. I want to share something of my African heritage with my newly adopted country. Of course, marketing a product here is a little different from selling bags of juice from the front steps in my childhood home in Africa. But, I have done my homework and have diligently researched what is required to produce a healthy, quality product. I am compliant with all the production, packaging and labeling laws necessary to sell my product. Moreover, I have achieved a level of success in that several stores, including Whole Foods, have carried my product. I feel I am now positioned to appeal to a wider market. I am eager to make the next leap forward.

Has it been a smooth road?
Although I grew up making these delicious drinks, starting a business on my own here in America was a total new experience. Once I was committed to preparing my beverages for public consumption, I had to learn from scratch, everything that was required to meet license, FDA requirements, product development, packaging, organic processes, etc. Once my product was in the store, I still had to fight for shelf space and maintain good relationships with the buyers, which wasn’t always easy.

Now that I have an established product, I need to often come out with new variations. So far I have done that successfully, but I will have to maintain creativity. Any time you do something new, there can be quite a big learning curve. But, having surmounted the early challenges of producing and then marketing my product, I am confident that I can handle anything that may come my way. I am encouraged by the eager reception of my product and I am motivated to take my product to the next level.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the MAKOMAS story. Tell us more about the business.
My business centers around the blending of exotic juices, such as Baobab and Moringa derived from African fruits, with flavors familiar to the American palate, such as ginger, pineapple, honey and beets. In addition to juices, I also offer an assortment of bottled teas such as Hibiscus Honey Ginger and Moringa Pomegranate, to give a couple of examples. My webpage is titled, “Not Just Beverages!” because I am also offering powders and dried ingredients that can be used in all kinds of cooking preparations. For suggestions on exciting ways to use my products, my website offers innovative recipes along with photos that are both eye catching and mouthwatering.

I want my entire product line be synonymous the word, “delicious.” But, for me, delicious is not enough. My drinks must also be healthy and nutritious too. As the mother of two young boys, I know the importance of providing a good healthy drink to children when they are thirsty. My goal is to create products I would be proud to serve to my own family. That is why I make my products with only the finest of natural organic ingredients that are low in calories, with no added sugars or caffeine.

What makes me most proud is my product. But, I also know that I couldn’t make my product without the hardworking women of Africa who harvest and process the fruits that are the basis of my beverages. I am very proud to have established the Makomas Foundation, a philanthropic initiative that provides meaningful economic opportunity to local women in Burkina Faso, West Africa. By reinvesting in those communities, my goal is to share the success of my company with these women who have little or no other incentive for economic development.

What sets me apart from my competitors is my dedication to producing quality products that make me proud of my African heritage. Ironically, the name Makomas may sound like an African name, but it is actually an acronym formed by combining my name, Magbè with that of my husband Kolo and our older son, Malick. The last letter stands for my family name, Savané. I am African. I am American. I come from a family that overcame dire challenges. I am a wife and a mother. All of those things make me who I am and compel me to strive for achievement through excellence.

What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
After several years of introducing our products to the public, we have been getting positive feedback on the excellence of our beverages both for tastiness and quality of our ingredients. We began with only a handful of beverages, but have been steadily introducing a larger variety of delectable flavor combinations. We know what it takes to launch a new product, to deliver a cohesive message about nutrition and quality, and to find an audience receptive to our message. We have successfully tapped into the local Boston market. What we are looking forward to is expanding that market to other states, and if possible, nationwide. But, to do that we will need to hire additional team members. And most importantly, we need to find the capital to go forward with our goals. Taking this leap is our logical next step as we build on the momentum we’ve created over the last few years. I remain optimistic that we can expand our operation, while maintaining our standards of quality, creativity and innovation.

Throughout this process I expect the Makomas Foundation to expand its partnership with ever more communities in Africa. Currently, the Foundation is working on initiating a finance training program that would enable local women to understand the basics of accounting. It is my personal goal to not forget the hardworking women of Africa as I grow my company.

Pricing: