Founded by Scott Butland, Momojo is dedicated to the children of Butland, Mikey and Jessie, and their mother, Melissa, with each of the first letters of their names making the brand name ‘Momojo’.
Melissa passed away from cancer when she was just 39, Jessie was then 12, and Mikey was nine. The tragedy of Melissa’s early loss was incredibly difficult for the family. Within the misfortune, Mikey and Jessie found their way of managing their feelings by participating in various activities to raise money and awareness for both The Cancer Society and Sweet Louise, which Melissa was a beneficiary of, along with various other organisations, as she battled cancer.
The children also donated their savings to these organisations, which rely on donations to operate. These acts of service and healing from Mikey and Jessie inspired Butland’s desire to do something meaningful, which would later take the form of Momojo.
In October and November this year, 20 percent of all sales made by the company will be given to Sweet Louise and The Cancer Society.
“The continuing intention of Momojo is to give back. As the company grows, our contribution will grow with it, and we hope to be able to make substantial contributions as the years go by,” said Butland.
Butland continued that it was hard to describe the profound value that moments of joy have on the person you love when, for the most part, they are experiencing great difficulty.
“Sweet Louise and The Cancer Society offer services for people with cancer which are free of charge and play supportive roles both emotionally and physically.”
As well as contributions to research, institutions such as Sweet Louise and The Cancer Society also offer counselling, massage, photography for family portraits, vouchers for fun experiences like Rainbow’s End, and beautiful opportunities to grow special memories.
“When life is precious, precious moments count immeasurably. We know the preciousness of life at Momojo and want to do our part for health, vitality, care and contribution.”
A longtime friend from music school introduced Butland to kefir grains. He started to ferment these at home, and he decided that kefir could represent an opportunity and substantial benefits for New Zealanders. This set in motion Butland’s mission to start a business.
With over 45 years of New Zealand food industry experience in product and process development, Torben Sorensen specialises in food microbiology. After Sorensen and Butland met, Sorensen began researching the origins of kefir from when it was used on the Silk Road. The pair co-founded Jemima Food Ltd, the company behind Momojo Real Kefir, and built a small bespoke manufacturing facility for Momojo on Sorensen’s lifestyle block in Puhoi.
Momojo kefir has a taste resembling that of Greek yoghurt, with a liquid consistency and a substantial amount of probiotic life. The benefits of these probiotics are numerous, including supporting digestion, fighting disease, and promoting good gut health and function. While probiotics can be found in various foods, Momojo products have a concentrated amount, with more than 50 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) per serving at the time of manufacturing.
“To put this in perspective, Momojo has about the same probiotic content as a teaspoon as compared to one litre of yoghurt made to the New Zealand and Australia yoghurt standard.”
Momojo is also crafted with a specific point of difference. Butland and Sorensen aim to produce ‘kefiran’, which is found in traditional kefir. Kefiran has powerful and incredibly beneficial properties for the gut-lining.
Butland revealed consumers of Momojo have told him that the products have helped to alleviate IBS, gastric reflux, and even psoriasis by consumers of Momojo. He also noted that the properties of Momojo as a liquid wholefood make it both highly nutritious and easily consumed, which is particularly beneficial for the elderly and people going through chemotherapy due to the difficulty these people have with digestion and the energy requirements of chewing food.
Under international guidelines, kefir should contain both probiotic bacteria and yeasts. Momojo does contain these substances and to the level required. Most manufacturers avoid using yeast because of difficulties in distribution.
“At Momojo, we have overcome these challenges.”
Momojo’s kefir products come in a natural variety in a 900ml family size and 225ml Mango and Strawberry flavours, a great ‘grab ‘n go’ or blended-in smoothies.
As a rapidly growing category, Momojo is looking to take full advantage of the popularity of fermented dairy foods by entering with functional health products that are delicious and of exceptional quality.
Moving forward, Butland and Sorensen are determined to have Momojo’s flagship products become staples in the market, with the focus of business centred on producing high-quality goods as efficiently as possible. Momojo will continue to support charitable organisations such as Sweet Louise and The Cancer Society, with the meaning behind the Momojo name serving as a reminder of what the company stands for and the positive impact it is committed to striving for.
Read more featured stories from the Novemeber issue of Supermarket News below:
