MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Sisters Sheilla and Yasameen Sajady grew up in the kitchen with food at the center of their upbringing.
"Everything revolves around food in our family," Sheilla said.
Yasameen added, "It's just how we show love in our family."
Sheilla and Yasameen's parents immigrated to America from Afghanistan in the 1970s. The couple had four kids and raised them in Coon Rapids.
"Again, food is a really big part of our culture. I feel like it was something that our parents shared with us to kind of keep our culture alive here in the U.S.," Sheilla said.
Chutney was a staple in their home, often found on their kitchen table. One day, the sisters were at their parents' home for lunch when their mom, Fatima, added fresh ginger to her chutney recipe.
"We tasted it and it was amazing," Yasameen recalled. "A light bulb went off and we're like... 'We have to bottle this. We have to share this with everyone.'"
Sheilla and Yasameen started selling their mom's chutney at the Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market and Mill City Farmers Market in 2014. From there, they expanded to local food co-ops.
They named their sauce line Maazah which means flavor in Farsi.
In the beginning, they would spend hours in Sheilla's kitchen. The sisters now use a manufacturer to make their products but Yasameen, co-founder and CEO, remembers how, "It would take eight hours to do 25 jars in the beginning."
In January 2020, they decided it was time to take the business to the next level. By the end of the year, they had been featured in The New York Times, won a few pitch competitions and launched in Kroger.
Four years later, they can be found in more than 500 stores. In January 2024, they launched in nearly 300 Target locations. They can also be found in Kowalski's Markets. In September, Maazah will launch in Whole Foods store nationwide.
"It's very emotional to see a piece of our culture on the shelf at Target of all places," said Sheilla, co-founder and CCO. "We never had anything like that growing up. So it just feels like something really special, not only to our family, but also just to our culture to have a piece of that in the store."
Maazah focuses on fresh ingredients. They currently offer four flavors: cilantro chutney, mango chutney, lemon aioli and hot chutney. Their mom is known for her "magic green sauce" which is bottled up as the cilantro chutney — a blend of cilantro, ginger and lemon.
"Our mom is the inspiration of everything, everything that we do," Yasameen said.
The family is full of entrepreneurs. Growing up, the sisters would help out at their parents' used car dealership and repair shop.
Sheilla and Yasameen, who are both moms, remember their own mother telling them, "You just have to put the baby down and do the books at night sometimes." Yasameen continued, "There's just like this understanding of the hustle and the growing pains,"
After 10 years working together, Yasameen said, "I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else but my sister."
You can find Maazah in the refrigerated section of select stores, using this store locator. The sauces can also be ordered online.
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