MaRobert’s is an exciting and one-of-a-kind brand based in Edinburgh, specialising in authentic, 100% natural East African sauces for cooking, dipping and spreading. MaRobert's was founded in 2014 by Maggie Mazoleka, who came to live in Scotland over 26 years ago from Tanzania.

When Maggie Mazoleka left her native Tanzania to accompany her sister to Scotland, she didn't imagine that the flavours of her childhood would one day spice up the cooking of UK food lovers. Here's how it happened...

Maggie came to Edinburgh in 1992 where she worked on her education at the Edinburgh Women's Training Centre and Stevenson College. Later, Maggie completed a degree in IT studies at Edinburgh Napier University, where she also met her future (Scottish) husband and fellow fanatical food lover!

After completing a Masters degree in Business Management with Entrepreneurship, it was time for Maggie to combine her love of food and her business skills...MaRobert's was on the horizon!

Maggie never forgot her home village of Samuye, in the Shinyanga District, to the south-east of Lake Victoria.

In Samuye, people still lived without electricity or a convenient water supply and rain remains an exciting event.

In 2008 she decided it was time to actively give back to the village, and with the help of her friends and family, she set up the charity SASHITA which supports the empowerment of women and young people, as well as providing access to clean drinking water for the community in Samuye.

But when did MaRobert's come in? Well...

Maggie began making her family-favourite and classically Tanzanian sauce for SASHITA fundraising events as well as social gatherings on a large scale.

Friends and family had always loved her recipe, and as more people tried it, more people fell in love with it!

Maggie decided to develop a range of flavours from fruity to hot so everyone could enjoy Tanzanian flavours. After some test markets where customers went crazy for her sauce and Maggie sold out in hours, it became clear that a business had emerged and MaRobert's was born!

As she wrote her dissertation on the Sustainable Development of Micro-Business in rural Tanzania, Maggie worked tirelessly to establish her own company, allowing her to produce the sauce on a larger scale and sell to retail.

With the help of the Moffat Centre at Napier University and Entrepreneurial Spark, Maggie was able to kickstart MaRobert's which began trading officially in early 2014.

Business continues to grow rapidly, and MaRobert's is now available in local shops, various farmers markets, through wholesalers, and through our own online shop.