Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Cid.
Hi Andrea, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Miami Growth Machine was created during the pandemic. In May of 2020, our manufacturing plant was forced to shut down. Clients cancelled orders, capital dried up, and our supply chain channels were severely disrupted. I remembered that during the most challenging times, entrepreneurial activity grows. People start businesses after being laid off, the opportunity cost of doing the thing you’ve been dreaming of doing for years goes down. The pandemic was no different. We saw entrepreneurs, many women of color, reach out to us for product development and manufacturing advice. Creating services that were specifically tailored to them made sense. Although much has improved since March 2020, the challenges are still the same. MGM is focused on helping our community expand beyond this crisis, creating a way forward for all Miami entrepreneurs. We offer formulation, supply chain management, and production for CPG brands.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Our business has struggled to gain access to raw materials. Logistics and supply chain channels continue to be affected. Products are delayed, shipments are stuck in ports. Our ability to hire has been affected by the pandemic. Costs continue to increase, particularly for small business who do not have the bargaining power of larger companies. All through this, we see more and more optimism from our community. The ability to solve problems in creative ways, do more with less has been essential. Every day our employees go above and beyond to help clients deal with these challenges. MGM has tripled in revenue this year.
We’ve been impressed with Miami Growth Machine, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Miami Growth Machine is a CPG manufacturing incubator, offering cosmetics and other CPG start-ups the comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge to develop new products. More than a co-packer, MGM is a community platform, tapping into the broader Miami entrepreneur ecosystem but focused specifically on manufacturing expertise with no minimums. Services include: brand strategy, formulation, label and packaging design, supply chain coordination & sourcing, and of course, manufacturing/co-packing. The ability to iterate quickly is essential for a new business. MGM can create small or large batches right here in the US. Our plant can blend, fill and label most lotions, gels, liquids, perfumes, serums, and creams.
I’m most proud of my team and the community we are building. We need to spread the word so entrepreneurs in the cosmetics and consumer space know there is a community ready to support their product development journey. So much of the start-up world is focused on tech, but there is still a need for entrepreneurs to create innovative products that require manufacturing expertise. Miami Growth Machine fills a gap in the market between startups and co-packers.
Our biggest accomplishment is seeing our clients thrive. Under extremely challenging circumstances we have one client who has launched a new fragranced bath and body line with 7 products. They have a retail store, and their products are selling extremely well. We helped them formulate, test, fill, package and ship all their items. Contributing to the success of a new local business is thrilling. We have another client who started manufacturing in her kitchen. She just sent out 4 pallets of product to two warehouses in NJ and CA. We were able to help her scale her business from a few hundred units a week to thousands a day.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’ve lived in 11 cities across the US, Latin America, and Asia. There is no place I would rather be than Miami right now. Especially as an entrepreneur. We are a vibrant, innovative city that is rapidly growing. Miami is at the crux of every major issue affecting the US, whether it is immigration, politics, housing, climate change, tech disruption. There is a community of experts, activists, artists, and businesspeople that have been here, focused on pursuing solutions for years. That seems to be reaching a critical mass now and it’s an exciting place to be.
Of course, that also means we need to tackle those issues head-on. Our lack of infrastructure, traffic, housing need to be addressed if we are going to continue to attract innovators to our city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.miamigrowthmachine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamigrowthmachine/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreacidbot
