Mango Mana ready to bring ‘something different’ to region with new healthy options

Mango Mana — located at 9111 346th St. S in Roy — is set to open its doors next month and is aiming to bring “something different” to the Nisqually Valley region in the form of fresh fruit acai bowls, different juices and order-to-make sandwiches.

Tony Sharma, owner of Mango Mana, told the Nisqually Valley News on Wednesday, April 29, that the establishment will be “all about” fresh fruit concoctions and will feature sandwiches, flatbreads and bagels.

He’s hopeful that the new establishment will check the box for health conscious residents in the region, and offer something new for those unfamiliar with acai bowls.

“We will also be doing acai bowls, which is organic acai with fresh fruits on top. It’s something different,” Sharma said. “Given how health conscious this community is, it can often get overlooked. I think it’s under served in that context. There’s a lot of military folks — my wife is in the military as well, soon to retire. There’s two gyms in the area and they’re always packed. I think people can use some healthy stuff here.”

Sharma noted that this is the first Mango Mana location, and that he’s got a goal of opening its doors to the public sometime in the beginning of June.

Additionally, the new business owner has resided in the Yelm area for roughly a decade. He said he’s thankful to have the opportunity to operate his business in the community that he calls home.

“I’m a big fan of this area, and I’ve always been curious as to why we couldn’t get something better and something healthier. This is my way of finding our livelihood and giving something new to the area,” Sharma said. “I think food is something that brings people closer. To be able to share something very different, I thought that I would love to be able to take that opportunity and enjoy something different. There’s plenty of burgers and pizzas around here. Being able to offer something different is one of the reasons why I was inspired to open it. More than that, this is where our roots are. We wanted to be part of our community doing this kind of work.”

According to Sharma, some of his goals during the early days of operating Mango Mana include establishing the customer base, spreading word about the business around town and creating a fun, friendly environment for patrons to enjoy.

He added that he wanted to have an establishment where people can enjoy consuming gut friendly food — a snack that’s light and refreshing.

“That’s really the feeling that we want to give. We’re trying to build a customer base where we can engage with them,” Sharma said. “One of the ways we’re going to do that is by having a little bit of fun. We’re going to play a dice game with whoever is interested. You’ll roll the dice three times and if you beat the house you’ll get something special.”

Sharma and Mango Mana — ahead of its grand opening sometime next month — established the eatery’s founders club and noted the first 200 members of it will have the opportunity to redeem a free acai bowl in the near future.

“It’s for the folks who are supporting us before we open the doors,” Sharma said. “We put out 200 bowls and we’re close to reaching our limit. Founders club members will get something special. They’ll be seen differently and we’ll do events for them every now and then.”

The local business owner wanted to give the opportunity for excited community members to be part of the founding basis of the establishment. Once you’ve signed up to be part of the founders club, Sharma noted that members will receive updates on events, activities and when they can redeem their free acai bowl.

Visit the establishment’s self-titled Facebook page to learn more about how you can become part of the founders club. Sharma said to sign up fast, as memberships are going quickly.