platform to advocate for maternal health rights and breastfeeding awareness , and provided valuable information and educational resources free of charge to breastfeeding mothers . After purchasing a manufacturing plant in Springfield , Vermont , in September 2021 , Mamava is now well-equipped to meet the growing market demand for their lactation pods , which has been bolstered by recently-passed federal legislation . Mamava ’ s innovative products and services have made a profound difference in the lives of countless mothers , and their executive staff remains firmly grounded in their core values as they move forward into the future .
The chain of events that led to the creation of Mamava , Inc . first began when Mamava ’ s CEO , Sascha Mayer , and COO , Christine Dodson , were working at the Burlington-based graphic design firm Jager Dipaola Kemp ( JDK ) in the early 1990s . At the time , Mayer was working as a brand strategist for JDK , and Dodson was involved with the account services side of the business . Working together , they helped to manage client accounts and strategize with design teams to create culturally-resonant brands . pods . “ We wanted to elevate and normalize breastfeeding within our culture in the same way that JDK was able to help Burton elevate and normalize snowboarding .”
In the late 1990s and early 2000s , Dodson and Mayer gave birth to their first children . “ We both had babies around the same time ,” says Dodson . “ We also both had to go back to work and use a breast pump , which was a very challenging experience for both of us . We didn ’ t come up with the idea for Mamava back then , but we still knew that something had to be done to help breastfeeding mothers .”
Half a decade later , when Dodson and Mayer ’ s children were no longer breastfeeding , Michael Jager approached the JDK staff with a unique proposition . Dodson recalls : “ Michael asked JDK ’ s staff members how they thought they could help to solve problems in the world through effective branding and design . It was a pitch competition of sorts , and everyone worked very hard to create ideas for it .” Although Dodson had moved to
Boston at the time , she worked closely with Mayer – who was still living and working in Burlington – to develop a pitch for a brand concept that supported breastfeeding women . When Mayer went into the pitch meeting with the idea that would eventually become Mamava , the JDK team was very encouraging .
In the years that followed , Mayer and Dodson were able to use the connections that they had formed during the decades they spent working in the fields of graphic design and commercial brand management to get their fledgling project off the ground . After coming up with the name and concept for the business , they partnered with a Southern Vermont-based industrial designer named David Jaacks . Dodson elaborates : “ We had extensive experience in graphic design , but we had no experience in creating physical spaces . David Jaacks had worked for years building structures , fit-ups , and mobile kiosks for large companies , such as Swarovski . He really helped us bring our vision into reality in a functional and
“ One of JDK ’ s biggest clients early on was Burton Snowboards ,” says Dodson . “ One of the firm ’ s founders , Michael Jager , met Jake Burton Carpenter around the time that he was first attempting to commercialize snowboarding .” Burton and Jager then formed a business partnership , and Jager designed the graphics for many of Burton ’ s early boards . “ Before snowboarding was even allowed on the mountain , both Jake and Michael understood that the boards and their designs could represent something bigger for the riders ,” notes Dodson . “ They knew that the cultural impact of the board design would play a big part in helping to develop Burton as a successful brand .” Years later , Mayer and Dodson would end up applying that same understanding of commercial branding practices toward the development of the Mamava
Mamava ’ s COO , Christine Dodson , and CEO , Sascha Mayer .
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