Two Latinas want to make your life easier by solving common organization issues
With the world returning to some normalcy after a year in lockdown and travel restrictions being lifted, you might already be planning your upcoming escapade. Whether you’re thinking of a romantic trip to the city of Paris or lounging with some piña coladas in Mexico, you want to make sure you stay organized before, during, and after your travels. Lucky for you, there is a Latina-owned organization company that is taking away the headache out of traveling. Mumi was founded in 2014 by two Mexican-born entrepreneurs, Gabriela Mekler and Maribel Moreno, with a mission “to share with the world the liberating feeling of being well organized by offering products that deliver an efficient and practical way to stay organized at home, school, the office or when traveling.”
To help you pack more effectively for your upcoming trip, Mumi has their best selling packing cubes. These durable cubes help maximize luggage space by separating clothes by type and turning it into a compartmentalized closet. It’s made with a polyester mesh that allows you to see what’s inside each cube without creating a mess. Not only does it make packing a breeze but it also makes unpacking at your destination incredibly easy.
While the company was first renowned for its packaging cubes they have continued to grow to include many organization products beyond travel. “Over the last year, we’ve been expanding our home collection and have received an amazing response from our customers. We even sold out of one of our new products, the divider cubes, shortly after launching them for the first time,” says owner and co-founder Maribel Moreno. “We are so excited that, for the first time, we’ll be able to showcase all these new products, plus a few secret ones we have in the works, in an in-person setting.”
We recently caught up with the Latina entrepreneurs who shared some organization tips, talk about their products, and their in-person kiosk.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you both got started with Mumi?
Gabriela: I am a child psychologist and teacher by training, but I had reached a point in my life where I wanted to try something new. I first met my business partner Maribel at prenatal yoga, and we became inseparable ever since. We have gone through a lot of the same things at the same time, and both wanted to do something that would give us more control of our time than a typical 9-5 job. We each have two young kids at home, and the idea of starting our own business is something that we had been discussing for a while.
Maribel: I have a background in Business Administration, and I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. Starting mumi with Gabriela has been an exciting journey. We first came up with mumi while on a joint family trip to Valle de Bravo, Mexico. On that summer vacation, we noticed that our luggages were meticulously packed and organized. Seeing our similar packing style and realizing how important it was to both of us to be organized in order to be more efficient in every aspect of life really sparked the idea for mumi.
G: As moms, we both understand the freedom that comes with being organized. It helps you be in control of your time and gives you the ability to spend more time with your family. Our first product launch was in 2014 with the packing cubes. As soon as we noticed the packing cubes’ rapid success, we have been growing our collection of products ever since – each product is designed with the intention of taking as much stress and hassle out of packing for family travel.
M: Our brand has evolved over the years from solely focusing on travel organizing gear, to now also including collections dedicated to the home. Our mumi home collection is meant to help you organize anything from your closet, to your pantry, to anything in between. We started our business selling products at our kids’ school bazaars, and it has been an incredible journey getting to where we are today. We now ship to every continent and have developed partnerships with major retailers like Bloomingdales.
How do your products differentiate from other organizational products on the market?
G: We like to say that we didn’t invent anything; rather, we reinvented a solution for something we’re both passionate about – travel! All of our products start off as ideas that Maribel and I would find helpful in our own lives, and then we focus on making sure every single design aspect has a purpose. We ensure that all of the products in our brand are practical and well designed. Another essential aspect of our brand is the product color coding. We incorporated the concept of assigning one color for each family member with the intention that everyone has easy access to their own belongings. This has become an essential aspect of our brand.
Do you have any guidance or tips for those wanting to create an organized home? Where should they start?
M: Organize your home room by room, so you don’t feel overwhelmed trying to tackle it all at once. Creating an organized home is supposed to remove stress from your life, not add to it. Develop a system to get the whole family involved.
Adding labels and using products that allow you to see what’s inside is very important so you don’t store things and then forget what you have and where.
Don’t keep things you don’t need. There are plenty of people out there that do. Make sure to donate things that are in good shape, and get rid of the ones that aren’t. Keeping an organized home is easier when you don’t hoard.
What are some unconventional ways you use your products to help organize your home?
G: The beauty of our products is that they can be used in so many different ways and situations. We love receiving photos from our customers showcasing the creative ways they’ve incorporated our products into their lives. For example, we have a customer that used our Reusable Zip Up Bags to sort and store her daughter’s toy collection. She used the different sizes to categorize and store all the little accessories like shoes and clothes. Genius and super cute!
What’s next for Mumi?
M: We just reopened our kiosk in the Aventura Mall in South Florida, so we are very excited about that. After closing the store last year due to the pandemic, it’s a wonderful feeling to be back. We missed having the opportunity to interact with our customers in person face-to-face and to show them our new products in-person. Now that it is up and running, we are getting ready to launch a few new products.