Despite the unfavorable margins, sustained growth on Amazon is better than folding altogether. “You have to keep holding on—one unit at a time, one Amazon order at a time,” the POKS representative continued. “No entrepreneur wants to say, ‘I failed,’ right?” Still, the company is well aware it will take “a couple of years to catch up with what has happened.”
In the meantime, they’re cutting expenses wherever possible—pausing all in-person trade show events and marketing for the foreseeable future, along with sunsetting its website once the web hosting contract expires in May. Foli is also actively interviewing for full-time work to subsidize her income while continuing to run day-to-day POKS operations.
“I’m seeing too many small food brands closing,” said Akua Kyerematen Nettey, founder of Mampro Foods (formerly Berry Bissap), who met Foli through an online Ghanaian community.
Mampro, like POKS, is one of countless small businesses led primarily by people of color that don’t have significant outside funding. “We’re bringing natural ingredients to the market, no preservatives, no fillers, no crap … and because of lack of access to capital and rising costs in the retail space, it’s very difficult to scale.” She and other supporters posted publicly, celebrating POKS and its impact on introducing West African cuisine to more American homes.
Hours after POKS published its post, sales spiked significantly on Amazon. (A surge in support is typical after announcements like this, but does not guarantee repeat purchases, the representative noted.) July became the top performing month of 2025; by August, revenue was up 50%. The company also rose in Amazon’s search results, which could help the seasonings attract more eyeballs and clicks to cart. The orders come at a literal higher cost, but until POKS can establish partnerships with more favorable retailers, Amazon is its best and only option.
