The first ever Pasifika-Maori dairy drink launched on Woolworths shelves recently is causing a ripple on social media.
“Drink Da Milgy” is wowing shoppers across Auckland, not only for its chocolate goodness but also for the ‘story’ behind it.
And Saion Angi who is one of the co-founders of the drink says, this is just the start.
“Today is a big milestone for the company. We’re rolling out with Woolworths and it’s quite an achievement, he says.
“Especially being a pacific and Maori milk brand, it’s the first of its kind. So just super happy and proud of this moment.”
It’s an astounding achievement for Angi given he is only 23 years of age. But at his relatively young age, he is no stranger to the entrepreneurial world having started his journey in business when he was 19.
“At 19 I realised I want more in life then what I have and I’m not gonna settle for less or something mediocre. I wanted to make sure my family is provided everything they need and that they can have and that they actually can get that better life they all wanted,” he says.
“I started about 7 businesses, my first one at 19. Most of them failed. But they were all lessons to me. And I applied all those seven lessons to Milgy which is why I was able to scale Milgy’s services so quickly.”
And among the vital lessons learned on his journey has been the power of networking and connections. It’s a skill that he has utilised with the production of Milgy in dealing with different people and organisations.
“I don’t think I was ever not confident in myself in establishing networks. I always understood the importance of it.
“That came from my understanding of going to school in central (Auckland), I went to school in Ponsonby but I am from Otara. And then I also had some time I spent around in St Heliers and Orakei and Mission Bay
“So seeing those different communities and the dynamic change, and coming back to Otara was eye opening for me.”
For now, the entrepreneur is taking things one step at a time as Milgy gets rolled out across Auckland and hopefully New Zealand.
And as he progresses through his journey with Milgy, he hopes it’ll inspire future Pasifika entrepreneurs.
“How we get more of our people to realise this, is that we have to involve first movers. So pioneers in this space of entrepreneurship,” he says.
“So that we have more figures in this space so that our people can see, like oh, if that person can do it then I can do it
“This is already greatly done for rugby. Our people, Pasifika and Maori, see a lot of footy players and they know it’s achievable. So if we had more of that in the business space, then it would encourage more people like me.”
