Low-Carb-High-Fat Quick-Mix Baking Kits

 

The Mojome business is just two years old but it has caught a wave of intense interest from the Low-Carb-High-Fat diet aficionados and the reach of her quick-mix kits is growing rapidly as people realise they are available.

 

The Mojome business is just two-years-old but it has caught a wave of intense interest from the Low-Carb-High-Fat diet aficionados and the reach of her quick-mix kits is growing rapidly as people realise they are available.

The idea of establishing the business took shape after Edwards’s unsuccessful quest for ingredients to make recipes from the groundbreaking Real Meal Revolution – or as she calls it ‘The Big Red Book’ of Low-Carb-High-Fat recipes. The book had piqued her curiosity about what goes into the foodstuffs we buy off the shelves – and what she realised when she dug for information was that everything was not as it seemed.

“I started the eating plan in an effort to find a healthy approach to food, not as a Banting follower. But through it I began to realise a lot of things are hidden in food labels and products. I realised the supermarket shelves had a shortage of the ingredients I needed. So I began to explore how to source them.”

And as she did so, the idea of the Mojome premixed kits took shape. “It makes it easier for the consumer. We focus on the ingredients: no preservatives, no wheat, no starches, and no sugar.”

The target market is not just Banters. It is intended to meet the needs of discerning consumers who want a healthy option – but it also serves the needs of people who are gluten intolerant, and diabetic.

 

Mojome has already secured supplier rights to two national retail chains and was named as one of the finalists in the Pick n Pay 2016 Boost Your Biz competition – securing a listing at the retailer for Mojome as part of the prize.

The competition format saw 60 semi-finalists receiving an intensive six-week business training programme, and 24 finalists being selected for an intensive weekend bootcamp during which they were assisted to pitch their products for a spot on Pick n Pay shelves. The winners all secured preferential trading and payment terms, assistance with packaging development and design, and guidance and on-going expert advice in all aspects of business such as financial planning, strategy, mentorship and distribution, to ensure their sustainability.

Edwards has high praise for the competition. “Pick n Pay has been outstanding. I compliment them for creating this opportunity. The workshop was just absolutely full of passionate people with so much drive – it was such a privilege to be there to engage with them. You can’t bottle that passion or put it into a presentation.

“Having direct engagement, having all that access to education and information at the workshop was just priceless. And we got a listing! That was No 1 for me. The competition gave me direction and contact with amazing people in Pick n Pay. Their hard work and dedication goes beyond words – they were really helpful and they really want you to be successful. They honestly believe in you and see what you want, and try to help you wherever they can. Of all retailers, Pick n Pay stands out for how they treat small businesses,” she added.

“The way that Julia recognised a gap in the market and then made it her own really stood out for us,” says Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, “she has taken an idea and turned it into a business, but even great ideas can fail if they are not offered support. Boost Your Biz gave the participants the tools to get their products onto shelves, and to learn about how to be suppliers. The benefit to us is that we have innovative products and services coming into our stores; something we know our customers want.”

Edwards started her working life in the hospitality business in KwaZulu-Natal and moved into packaging as a second career when she relocated to the Western Cape. The move into food was an unexpected detour, but, as it happened, one that dovetailed well with her packaging skills and experience.

“I think it really helped that I had that experience,” she said. And it helped that her now-business partner was a skilled designer who assisted with the IT and branding for the company.

With an office at her Capricorn Park company premises and another at her home, she often simply continues to tie up the day’s business late into the night or at weekends. “We are a young company,” she says. “We are too young not to give it our best.”

Julia’s products are available at selected Pick n Pay stores as well as at Pick n Pay Online. Or, visit her website at http://www.mojome.co.za/.