How did the idea of Mula Maldives come about?

My husband and I are like minded and always talk about different business ideas we have. So when we met, he would sometimes talk about a sun care brand and how it would be amazing to have our own sun care brand, as we are from a tropical country. 

So one day, we were floating this idea, and we were like let’s do it. We researched to find potential manufacturers and existing products in the market. After many Zoom meetings and sleepless nights, we landed on a manufacturer we were really happy with, and we launched our first products in 2021, right after COVID-19. 

We founded Mula to make sun care more accessible and fun for people to use.

How would you describe your role within the company?

I am the co-founder of Mula Maldives. I handle all the operations, including logistics, administrative work, marketing, social media, and customer services at our company. I am also sometimes a videographer and photographer.

How does MULA differentiate itself in a competitive market?

When we first entered into the sun care market, we understood that we were entering into a very competitive market, especially because there are huge, well-known brands that are already globally recognized and existing in the Maldives. So when we formulated the products and brought MULA into existence, we made sure that the ingredients and the quality of products were competitive, if not better than some of the existing brands and products. So we opted to manufacture from Australia, where sun care products are highly regulated and used religiously.

Secondly, we also differentiate our brand with exceptional customer service, we always make sure to establish a very close and personal relationship with both our corporate and retail customers. We believe the purchasing experience a customer has creates a huge impact on how the product is perceived as well.  

And we placed our product in a very affordable range as sun care should be accessible to everyone as it’s a necessity rather than a want.

Can you share insights into your challenges and opportunities while operating a business in The Maldives?

I would say it is easy for a brand to establish their presence but sustaining it would be the challenge. Operating a business in The Maldives is quite tough, as our country is quite small compared to other countries, so we have very limited market opportunities. Our population is below 500,000, and average annual tourist arrival is about 1.5 million, whereas other brands can penetrate into larger markets with higher populations and even more tourist arrivals like over ten, hundreds of millions. 

Regardless of the small population and market, I believe there is opportunity for local brands to showcase their products across our country, in the resorts, hotels and guesthouses, with exposure to tourists from various parts of the globe. At the same time, I would also like to recognize the support from the resorts and hotels in the Maldives. If it were not for the support provided by the big chains, we would not be able to expand the business as much as we have over the past year.  

Also, the current administration provides a lot of opportunities for small businesses like us to flourish in a competitive market like this. We were actually able to launch our first products because of the SDFC loan we received under the current government. 

How do you incorporate environmental sustainability into your brand’s philosophy and products?

Environmental sustainability is at the core of our brand’s philosophy. As we all know, Maldives is a very environmentally vulnerable island nation, expected to be one of the first countries to be most affected by global warming. As a brand coming from the Maldives, we believed that we should be responsible and committed to protecting our environment. For that reason, we wanted our Sunscreen to also be reef friendly and compliant with the Hawaiian reef act. For this we made sure our sunscreens did not have any oxybenzone or Octinoxate, which are two of the most harmful chemicals that affect juvenile corals.

In addition to this, I would like to point out that our bottles are recyclable. 

Can you share a story or experience that showcases your brand’s positive impact on the tourism industry?

Whenever we run a campaign or create content for social media and websites, we always put front the beauty of Maldives. If you go through our Instagram, you will notice that we always show the beautiful beaches and turquoise waters because to us, that is what sun care is. And as a brand originating from Maldives, our goal is to make people want to come to Maldives and use our sun care products. And I think this really has a positive impact on the tourism industry as people who discover our brand also see the beauty of our country and make them want to experience our paradise.

What advice would you give women who want to follow their passions as you did?

My advice to aspiring women would be… if you want to start a business, it must be something you are passionate about. Because if you are passionate about it, you will want to put your maximum effort and time into building it into something successful.

If we could have asked you one question, what should we have asked you?

Which woman has inspired you the most and why?