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.
“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.
As POKS fights to stay afloat, it is also recalibrating what success looks like. “We really want to be in every store and have people go to H-E-B or Central Market or Kroger and take a bottle of our West African seasoning,” said the representative. “Without adequate investment, it’s a nice dream, but it is not a practical dream.” Getting bought by a major spice company, like McCormick, that has the resources to “be able to scale this so we can get in every home,” has become an increasingly attractive, albeit idealistic, lifeline.
There’s a strong possibility neither will happen and POKS will close up shop, creating a void in the market that won’t be easily filled. In the meantime, “we’re going to basically keep the pot on the stove on low heat,” said the representative, “and keep it slow and steady.”
