At Dirigo Labs 'demo day,' Tanzanian ingredients spice up products

Photo / Courtesy Central Maine Growth Council From left,Susan Ruhlin of Dirigo Labs, Juliana Tebbetts of Kili Organics, Jeff Poulin of Creativity Codex, Khadija El Barkaoui of Coelle Travel, Andrew Schundler of CHUH and Emalee Hall of Dirigo Labs.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Powders ground from the leaf of the moringa tree and from the fruit of the baobab tree took the top spot during Dirigo Labs’s recent product demonstration competition.

Born and raised in Tanzania, Juliana Tebbetts now lives in Yarmouth and started Kili Organics to sell the organic moringa and baobab products, sourced directly from Tanzania and touted as healthy ingredients.

“I started Kili Organics with excitement to share and introduce an easier way to support a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Photo / Courtesy Central Maine Growth Council

Juliana Tebbetts, right, of Kili Organics gives her demo pitch.

The company sources the products from small independent farmers of Tanzania and has them tested and certified by independent U.S. labs, according to the company’s website.

Moringa and baobab powder can be mixed into smoothies or water and are part of daily life in the East Africa country, she added. Moringa is derived from the leaves of the moringa oleifera tree and health benefits from its antioxidants and bioactive compounds are said to include regulating blood pressure and speeding speeding up wound healing.

Baobab dries on the branch over six months, “turning its green, furry exterior into a smooth, coconut-like shell,” she said. “Inside this hard casing, we find dehydrated pulp, which we harvest, sieve and transform into a 100% natural and organic superfood powder,” also said to offer an array of health benefits.

Taking second place was Jeff Poulin of South Portland-based Creativity Codex, a platform designed to help creative professionals harness and expand their creative capabilities through learning, self-reflection and community collaboration, according to a news release.

Coming in third was Andrew Schundler of CHUH, a Georgetown startup producing bottled matcha latte that provides a caffeine and antioxidants alternative.

The three entrepreneurs were selected based on their understanding of their market, clarity of value propositions and potential impact on social, environmental and economic fronts.

“Kili Organics, Creativity Codex, and CHUH are outstanding examples of the innovation happening in Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and we are excited to see how they will continue to grow and impact their industries,” said Emalee Hall, assistant director of innovation programming and partnerships at Dirigo Labs.

The startups were part of Dirigo Labs’ inaugural Dirigo Launch Incubator Program last fall.

Also participating in Demo Day were:

Your Beauty, Portland: Developing seaweed-based, environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic hair products.
Dollhouse, Waterville: A platform to enable users to create real-time, interactive 3D models of their personal spaces using their smartphones, allowing them to visualize and manipulate furniture and decor within their home environment.
Coelle Travel, Portland: Provides intentional experiences that allow travelers to connect deeply with the places they visit, rooted in sustainable, community-based tourism that honors and respects indigenous cultures.

Three companies participated in the incubator but were unable to make Demo Day:

ParaAI, Waterville: Platform to help writers get to their final drafts faster — offering multiple solutions to cater to the many aspects of writing.
Truehly Sweet, Backriver Blends, Topsham: A health-focused twist to Jamaican jerk with plant-based, allergen-free recipes, featuring Maine blueberry and original marinades for a vibrant, accessible flavor experience.
Ark Consulting, Waterville: Platform to "evolutionize" social media marketing by enabling micro-influencers (500 to 3,000 followers) to monetize their following, offering smaller businesses an affordable, high-trust alternative to traditional advertising.

Demo Day was structured to give each entrepreneur a space to display their products or marketing materials while engaging with attendees in a networking environment. A hidden judge evaluated participants based on the quality of their conversations and the stories shared, focusing on key criteria such as assessing customer insights, market fit, value proposition clarity and the potential for social, environmental or economic impact.

Dirigo Labs is a program of the Central Maine Growth Council in Waterville. It is dedicated to supporting innovative startups and small businesses through mentorship, access to capital and partnerships.

Demo Day was sponsored by Coldwell Bank Plourde Real Estate.

Dirigo Labs launched a nine-part financial modeling course on Feb. 4, designed to provide entrepreneurs with skills to understand and manage their business finances. Its accelerator program will kick off on March 4, offering tailored mentorship and resources to high-potential startups poised for growth.