We’d like to properly introduce you to our #Disruption22 winners: Martinha and José Costa, from Yogan – Plant Based Creamery.

Hailing from towns outside Porto, they’ve been together since their Industrial Engineering and Management undergrad days. They had kickstarted their careers in Lisbon when Martinha, tired of not having truly healthy vegan alternatives to dairy products, started crafting and testing recipes in her own kitchen using locally sourced almonds. It was a hit – and soon, her family and friends were craving more. That’s when they realized they had something special cooking (pun intended!) and the brand started to take shape.

The path that led them here felt somehow natural for them. At first, they both had Yogan as a side project, but as the business started to grow, they made an agreement to focus full-time on it as they were facing their biggest challenge to date at the time: tackling the UK market. After a series of shortcomings on the distribution side (they went through 3 distribution partners in less than 6 months due to bankruptcy and even a fire in the storage of one of them), they still had to face all the tributary changes post-Brexit, plus the increase in costs due to the on-going war.

It’s no easy feat to work alongside your spouse, as the stress from work follows them to sleep, but the joy in knowing they are building something meaningful together makes up for everything. Like many entrepreneurs, they faced a series of failures or challenges along the way, but rely on a divide-and-conquer approach to dealing with business: Zé focuses mainly on Product Management and Finance, and Martinha on Sales and Product Development. And together, they share the most important role of them all: last year, they became parents to a baby girl named Julinha.

As it’s often the case with couples, they have their share of differences, but they face them as an opportunity to learn from each other and be better as humans and as business owners. Martinha’s dream is to have a strong brand on the European level. Zé, on the other hand, being from a family of industry folks, has a vision for the future that takes shape in a family business, where they all work together on a daily basis. But one thing they know for sure: they will keep doing this as long as they are having fun together. So far, so good!