Mamava cofounder Sascha Mayer discusses the new lactation pods and breastfeeding bench on the 10th anniversary of Mamava's first pod at BTV. Looking on is, from left, State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale (and Mira), BTV director Nic Longo and Mamava co-founder Christine Dodson. VermontBiz photos.
Vermont Business Magazine Mamava cofounders Sascha Mayer and Christine Dodson along with Nic Longo, Director of Aviation, gathered with local leaders to celebrate the 10-year milestone for this partnership and offer a sneak peek at Mamava’s new XL V6. As with the first pod in 2013, BTV serves as the pilot location for the new unit.
“Mamava was born in Burlington because of community connections and a tradition of innovation, justice, and care that is central to the Vermont way of life,” says Sascha Mayer, cofounder and Chief Experience Officer of Mamava (see her full comments below). “We incubated the business at the design firm Solidarity of Unbridled Labour in collaboration with Michael Jager. In between work we were doing with clients like Burton Snowboards and Ben and Jerry’s we decided to solve a problem we had experienced ourselves, the lack of design infrastructure for pumping and breastfeeding. We learned from these other Burlington based businesses the value of Bodacious Optimism to take on new ventures, and the power of brand and design to change hearts and minds.”
Since 2013 more than 4,000 pods have been placed including a fleet of 182 pods across 76 airports. Burlington-based Mamava has a manufacturing facility in Springfield, Vermont.
Mamava’s Sascha Mayer discussed the impact of the Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act and the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act, which have helped make air travel much easier for families, as well as the PUMP Act, which secures workplace lactation protections for millions of women and how these laws have helped Mamava elevate its mission to support breastfeeding parents.
Artist Bethany Andrews-Nichols designed the interior of the new pod, which features a padded seat and a reminder to users not to change diapers in it.
About Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport
Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) is northern New England’s most convenient and welcoming airport. Located adjacent to Burlington Vermont, BTV is just ten minutes from Lake Champlain. Business and leisure travelers alike appreciate BTV’s friendliness and direct flights to: Atlanta (ATL) via Delta, Charlotte (CLT) via American Airlines, Chicago (ORD) via United, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) via American Airlines, Denver (DEN) via United, Detroit (DTW) via Delta, Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) via Sun Country Airlines and Delta, New York City (JFK, LGA, EWR) via United or Delta, Philadelphia (PHL) via American Airlines, Washington DC (IAD) via United, Washington DC (DCA) American Airlines, and now Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA) via Breeze Airways. Book your getaway today at btv.aero.
About Mamava
Mamava is dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding. The category creator of freestanding lactation pods, Mamava provides breastfeeding parents with private, dignified, and comfortable spaces to pump or nurse—at work and on the go. The free Mamava app helps breastfeeding parents find thousands of lactation spaces and unlock Mamava pods (available for iOS and Android). Women-founded and a proud B Corp, Mamava designs, engineers, and assembles lactation pods at their manufacturing facilities in Vermont. Founded in 2013, Mamava has delivered thousands of lactation pods to organizations that span airports, hospitals, stadiums, schools, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. To learn more about Mamava’s full product line and lactation support resources, visit mamava.com and follow Mamava on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The new breastfeeding bench with the newly redesigned pod on the south terminal at BTV. The pods are located where there are a lot of people, like airports fulfillment centers, government buildings, and where organizations want to recruit and retain women, Mayer said.
Sascha’s Mayer's Comments:
Christine and I are so excited to be celebrating our 10-year anniversary at this beautiful new terminal at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. Thank you Nic Longo and team for being so accommodating and willing to take a chance on us 10 years ago, and again as we pilot another new product.
Mamava was born in Burlington because of community connections and a tradition of innovation, justice, and care that is central to the Vermont way of life. We incubated the business at the design firm Solidarity of Unbridled Labour in collaboration with Michael Jager. In between work we were doing with clients like Burton Snowboards and Ben and Jerry’s we decided to solve a problem we had experienced ourselves, the lack of design infrastructure for pumping and breastfeeding. We learned from these other Burlington based businesses the value of Bodacious Optimism to take on new ventures, and the power of brand and design to change hearts and minds.
It was through community connection, a conversation with Gene Richards (Michael’s neighbor) that we were able to place that first unit 10 years ago. We didn’t have a business plan, or an official manufacturer, only a rudimentary website and phone number that went directly to me. The Free Press covered the story and USA Today picked it up and put us on the front page of three million newspapers the next day. This little airport became the first pollinator for a big new idea.
Since then, a fleet of 182 pods across 76 airports have become other pollinators for the more than 4,000 pods now across the country, placed in locations as varied as hospitals, factories, stadiums, military bases, and schools. Each pod is a totem of our mission to support breastfeeding.
In the past 10 years our mission has also been bolstered by legislation including the Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act, the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act (which mandates all airports have lactation spaces), and the PUMP Act signed last year, which significantly expanded an employee’s right to lactation spaces at work under federal law. Mamava’s success is evidence that good public policy can be good for business.
Of course, we wouldn’t be here without the talent, passion, conviction, and creativity of our community, from local investors who were willing to take a chance, to our amazing colleagues in Burlington and Springfield, VT where we manufacture our pods. These amazing humans have navigated some of the toughest business challenges and come out the otherside, due in part to the belief that our mission was too important to fail. We are so grateful to you all.
So, 10 years on, breastfeeding initiation rates have increased from 73% to 83%. These higher rates of breastfeeding represent maternal and child health benefits, and millions saved in medical and care costs every year. We have also learned so much. This new unit we are unveiling here today was developed with the feedback of parents, and features a more comfortable bench for mom, a jump seat for her companion, new lock technology that integrates with our app, and is lighter and easier to install making it a better experience for our customers as well. Our designer Katrina Weigand developed the graphics and worked with local artist Bethany Andrews Nichols on a custom print on the interior of the pods. We are excited to show you, but before we do, I’d like to channel Steve Jobs, as we have one more thing to share.
It has always been our intention to bring visibility to the act of breastfeeding with an understanding that there are as many ways to feed as there are parents and babies. It has never been about hiding breastfeeding, but rather giving it the intentionality it deserves, and celebrating it through design created especially for it. So today we are also unveiling the prototype for the Mamava breastfeeding bench. This unit allows the parent to sit in comfort and some privacy, but mostly provides a designated space with sitelines to the terminal, while minimizing distractions for baby. We believe that providing visible support for this area of care will help continue to change culture as it shows that breastfeeding is everyone’s business, because breastfeeding benefits all of us.
Source: Burlington, VT, November 30, 2023 – Mamava