An Interview With Martita Mestey
Strong brand identity — This sets you apart from the competition and creates an emotional connection with customers. Matto’s brand is all about affordable, high-quality coffee that’s accessible to everyone.
As a part of our series called “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Maman.
Jennifer is a versatile leader with a strong background in franchise ownership and product development. During her seven years at Morgan Stanley, she specialized in equity marketing, where she honed her skills in communication strategy, public speaking, and relationship-building. One of Jennifer’s strengths, developed at Morgan Stanley and refined through her subsequent roles, is her ability to take complex information and make it easy to understand and digest. As the co-founder of Matto Espresso, Jennifer has been instrumental in shaping the company’s growth and operational strategy. She successfully transitioned into franchise ownership as Matto’s first franchisee, managing multiple locations with a focus on quality, profitability, and streamlined operations.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I had a pretty wholesome childhood — born and raised in Fairfax, VA. I was always outside with my friends, full of energy, and obsessed with tennis. I spent as much time as I could on the court and knew everything about the top-ranked players in the world. Those early days taught me the value of perseverance and enjoying life.
Can you share with us the story of the “ah ha” moment that led to the creation of the food or beverage brand you are leading?
While traveling throughout Italy with my friends, we enjoyed the best espresso drinks no matter where we went — from the tiniest, run-down cafes to the more premium, fancy spots. I thought, “wouldn’t it be amazing if people everywhere could enjoy high-quality espresso like this, but at an affordable price?”. I had to bring this concept home and to the rest of the world. It was at that moment we decided to open coffee shops that offered premium quality coffee that were affordable and accessible to everyone. That’s how Matto was born.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh, I’ve made plenty of mistakes! One of the funniest was during a busy morning rush. I was in such a hurry that I made several lattes without adding any milk. Customers were understandably confused when they got what was basically giant shots of espresso instead of their lattes. I had to laugh it off, apologize, and quickly fix the drinks — it was definitely one of those “it’s been a morning” moments.
I learned to slow down and focus on the task at hand, no matter how busy it gets. Paying attention to every detail, even if it means taking an extra second, makes all the difference. A calm approach leads to fewer mistakes and happier customers.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a food or beverage line? What can be done to avoid those errors?
Underestimating product consistency is a big one. If your product isn’t the same every time, customers lose trust fast. It’s all about creating standardized recipes, training your staff, and making sure you can maintain that quality even as you grow. Another mistake is not fully understanding costs and margins. You need to do a detailed cost analysis before setting prices, or you’ll risk having slim or even negative margins.
Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to produce. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
First, figure out exactly what your product is and how it’s different from what’s already out there. Get clear on who’s going to buy it and why. Then, start building and testing it to get feedback right away. Research your competitors to understand their pricing, offerings, and market positioning, and be sure to have a prototype ready to gather customer feedback.
Many people have good ideas all the time. But some people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How would you encourage someone to overcome this hurdle?
Once you know the problem you’re solving, don’t sit on it — take action right away. Break it into small, manageable steps, and find mentors who can help guide you. You don’t have to do it alone. Mistakes are part of the process, so don’t be afraid of messing up. The key is to stay persistent and be willing to adapt as you go.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
It really depends on your experience, resources, and the complexity of your idea. Personally, I think the best ideas come from solving a problem you encounter in your own life. Handling the process yourself can be a great learning experience because it gives you complete control. But if you feel like you need guidance or want to minimize risks, a consultant can provide valuable support.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
Starting off by bootstrapping just makes sense. It gives you full control and lets you prove your business model before you start looking for outside investment. Once you’ve validated your concept and need capital to scale, that’s when you can consider venture capital. The choice depends on your long-term vision: if you want to maintain control and grow slowly, bootstrapping might be the way to go. If you’re in a fast-growing market with high competition, VC funding could help you scale quickly.
Can you share thoughts from your experience about how to file a patent, how to source good raw ingredients, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer or distributor?
For sourcing good raw ingredients, start by nailing down your quality standards — whether that’s organic, non-GMO, or specific things like grade or origin. Always test samples to ensure they meet your expectations. When it comes to finding a manufacturer, trade shows are a great way to meet them face-to-face. Visit their facilities to assess their capabilities. As for finding a retailer or distributor, look for those who specialize in your product category, and be sure to research their reputation and reach.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand” and why?
Strong brand identity — This sets you apart from the competition and creates an emotional connection with customers. Matto’s brand is all about affordable, high-quality coffee that’s accessible to everyone.
High-quality products — This is your foundation. At Matto, we source our beans from one of the finest roasters in Italy, and it’s our commitment to quality that keeps customers coming back.
Exceptional customer experience — Everything from the ambiance to customer interaction matters. We invest in training our baristas to not only make great coffee but to engage with customers and make them feel welcome.
Innovative marketing — We’ve used social media to create viral content, like the video of our signature drink, The Banana Date Latte, which was watched by over 5 million people.
Scalability and consistency — As we expand, maintaining consistency across all locations is key. Our franchisor operations manual ensures that every Matto location delivers the same high standards.
Can you share your ideas about how to create a product that people really love and are ‘crazy about’?
The most important thing is offering a level of quality that stands out. I always make it a priority to deeply understand what my customers want. Research trends, look at consumer behaviors, and ask for feedback. Incorporating that feedback and constantly refining the product ensures you’re always exceeding expectations.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Empowering women has always been important to me. I’ve made it a priority to mentor other women in business, provide leadership roles within my company, and promote opportunities for growth. Beyond that, Matto is built around community, and we use our platform to support local initiatives, from charities to schools. Through our franchise model, we also give individuals the chance to own and operate their own businesses.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement, it would be centered around the idea that “Giving is Receiving.” It’s a radical shift in the way we think about success — where putting others, whether it’s customers or team members, first becomes the foundation for growth. I believe this could change how businesses operate, fostering trust, loyalty, and a sense of shared purpose. It would create a ripple effect, making the business world more connected and driven by genuine relationships.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Jennifer Maman Of Matto Espresso On 5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.