Maungo Craft shortlisted for Expo Live
Abigail Monthe and Motseoeme Taunyane have since left the company to focus on other projects. When they started, in their homes and for a lot of their neighbours, the Morula fruit was viewed as a nuisance that attracted snakes and rodents, she says.
“To us, this perception of our cultural heritage was not right. So, we decided to make Morula jam with it. We attended our first Farmer’s Market in 2017, using a ‘ stolen’ pot, borrowed from one of our parent’s homes, and a giant wooden spoon,” says Monthe. She further says that during their journey, they discovered that it takes a large amount of Morula fruit pulp to produce Morula Cosmetic oil, and that there was no major user of the fruit by- product in Botswana.
“This inspired us to ‘ upcycle’ the fruit to address the issue of food waste and turn it into something magical. This is how Maungo Craft was born,” she explains.
Speaking about their latest products, the Marula and Rose syrup as well as the Lerotse and Vanilla Syrup, Monthe explains that they were looking for ways to utilize Morula and Lerotse that tasted great and surprised people.
“Lerotse in a syrup is not how you would normally expect it. It is delicious though. They both are. They are lovely for cocktails & mocktails/ welcome drinks when your guests want to enjoy a yummy drink that celebrates Botswana flavours. They can be used in a plethora of places in the kitchen too. You want to jazz up your breakfast? They shine there too. Both of our Syrups are perfect for Mocktails, Cocktails, Ice - Teas, Flavoured Milk, Toast, French toast, Desserts, Ice Cream, Crepes, Waffles,” she explains.
She explains that they have big plans for this year which will revolve around expansion and growth. “It is about doing more in line with our motto and our values or at least setting the company up to do more in the medium to long term, pushing forward our long- term vision. Growth comes with change, hope and pain but is always worth it,” she explains.
This year’s edition comes as the UAE gears up to host the 28th edition of the Conference of Parties ( COP28) - a global conference wherein initiatives related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are discussed. Lucky Expo Live participants will also receive funding, support, and exposure at COP28.
According to the organisers, the program was launched in 2013, and seeks to serve as a tool to expand Expo City Dubai, which was built upon the Expo 2020 Dubai site. Having already supported 140 innovators from 76 countries over the years, around one- third of Expo Live’s endeavours have been related to sustainability issues.