BUSINESS - ‘Made in Moris’ : Towards national recognition

In a country which wants to become self-sufficient in food, consuming locally made products is significant. The label ‘Made in Moris’ not only aims to promote locally made products and goods but also to reinforce our local brands on the international scene.  

Do you pay attention to the origin of the products you buy in supermarkets and shops? It is indeed true that, for many of us, we simply fill our trolleys with what we like or what looks attractive and good in terms of quality and price. However, have you ever thought of consuming locally made products that not only give you the quality and reliability assurance but also promote the local know-how, innovation and competitiveness? 

Launched in 2013 by members of the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers (AMM) with the aim to boost the Mauritian industry and contribute to the economy, the logo now serves as a tool which adds value to the Mauritian skills, competencies and know-how. Sylvan Oxenham, President of the AMM, said: “Made in Moris acts as an umbrella brand to allow more visibility but also to promote local products. We want to resist standardisation, a globalisation without soul. As Mauritian citizens, we have the right to consume products with which we can identify ourselves. Let us not forget that at the African level, Mauritius is one of the few countries to have achieved the miracle of becoming an industrial island, despite its lack of resources. It is a heritage to preserve, encourage and develop.” 

More than just a simple logo, it has become a signature (Ena nou lamain ladan!) which attracts local producers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs. Adopting the ‘Made in Moris’ brand not only gives way to new lines of production, job creation and continuous improvement but is also a commitment to the shared values of the brand: citizenship, responsible, determined, unifying, innovative and sustainable.

Celebrating its three years of existence this year, ‘Made in Moris’ is proud to say that Mauritians have become more acquainted to the label. In fact the growing reputation of the brand has been revealed in a recent study carried out by the DCDM (Etude Socio-Style 2015), with 87.5% of Mauritians knowing the label. With nearly 90% of Mauritians trusting the label, by extension the local products, ‘Made in Moris’ has become with time a reference in terms of quality and reliability. 

‘Made in Moris’ certifies the origin of a product, based on processing and value added criteria, and subject to precise specifications. This process is achieved with the support of SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification. According to Catherine Gris, Executive Development Officer at AMM, this is a major difference between Mauritian products with imported products. “This also stands as a way to stimulate the demand and supply of these local products.”

However, she underlined that the major difficulty that Mauritian goods face is the strong market power of foreign products in our supermarkets. “Foreign products have considerably diversified but there are risks for consumers. As we have no mandatory standardisation, foreign products do not necessarily adhere to the same norms of Mauritian products. We often say that there is no level-playing field between a local and foreign product because we have gone quickly and far in the liberalisation of our import industry. This is why local products/goods especially that of SMEs suffer an often unfair competition and are often placed on the bottom shelves of supermarkets.” She thus states that the challenge is for the brand to resist to the competition. 

‘Made in Moris’ federates to date 60 member companies, 193 brands and over 2,500 products, including food, other industrial products, textile products, cultural and artistic products. Catherine Gris reveals that the aim of the label is to take over the region. “As we know that our market is small, we wish to export ‘Made in Moris’ products towards Africa and other countries in the region. We plan to start this project next year.” 

Catherine Gris points out that the support of the government as well as other institutions is significant in the promotion of the ‘Made in Moris’ label. “In regards to our partnership with the government, we look forward to obtain funds in order to support SMEs which are in the crafts, textile sectors, among others. We are demand-driven. Our message to the government is to help us expand the Made in Moris label for the benefit of SMEs as well as the country.” 

Ian Tin Fook: Committee Chairman of ‘Made in Moris’ 

“Made in Moris is open to all”. The label has celebrated its third anniversary. What is your assessment?

‘Made in Moris’ label has made incredible progress. Its reputation has grown since 2013. We started with 11 founding members to reach 65 members to date and approximately 165 Mauritian brands. 87% of Mauritians recognise the label and we continue to seek new adherents in various sectors such as textiles, the cultural and creative sector, crafts or agri-business, among others.

What is the value added to products which carry the ‘Made in Moris’ label?

First, the label confirms that the locally manufactured product justifies at least 25% of added value or more, and that the manufacturing complies with requirements validated by SGS, be it at the level of continuous improvement of process, security, standardisation, best practices so that consumers can have confidence in buying Mauritian products. The label is also recognition of a common identity and values including citizenship, responsibility, among others.

Is the label only open to large companies?

‘Made in Moris’ is open to all, SMEs, micro-businesses, and large enterprises in the productive sector. The specifications were designed so as to penalise no company or contractor. The enterprise/company/SME/micro-business must first obtain a 60% score and show pride in using the brand wisely so as to promote its products. Each then becomes an ambassador of ‘Made in Moris’ brand.

What are the dangers and limitations regarding the expansion of the brand?

We do our best to ensure the visibility of the label on all packaging and visuals. The consumer knows that his/her purchase contributes to the Mauritian economy and maintaining the Mauritian expertise. However we wanted to have a larger budget because the labelling on all brands and all referenced products require a lot of financial and human resources. This requires us to put at work our imagination and creativity so as to get ideas that allow us to add value to a maximum of marks for efficiency.

Since our launch, we benefit from the financial support of the Mauritius Commercial Bank as the main sponsor and a very favourable media that help us in our work. Imported products are increasingly numerous on supermarket shelves since all trade barriers have been eliminated. As domestic demand is not growing, the pressure is constant in terms of direct competition. Our local products are also affected by the MDD brands of retailers. This discourages some producers who consider that it is better to import than produce! We feel that institutions like SMEDA, Enterprise Mauritius, etc, rather than to duplicate themselves, rally to our cause because since the last 3 years we have proven that our approach is sustainable and essential for the recognition of the Mauritian product.

‘Made in Moris’ has launched its first game show to celebrate its third anniversary. What is the aim of this project?

The goal is very simple! In 2013, we launched ‘Made in Moris’. In 2014-2015, we have made the brand gain popularity among Mauritian people with our field marketing actions and those on social networks. This year, we want Mauritians to buy ‘Made in Moris’ products. This game allows us to develop, in an entertaining way, our brands and products that are proud to be part of the ‘Made in Moris’ family.