Inspiring Entrepreneurs: ANIM Naturals

Continuing the discussion of incredible entrepreneurs on the African continent, I have asked Akosua to answer some questions about her brand, the impetus that started it all, and her hopes for the future.  

-A bit about herself

I am Akosua, I was born in Ghana and raised in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. I run my own business called, ANIM Naturals. We make all natural hair and skin care products from raw materials sourced from across the African continent. I’m also a part time Masters student studying African studies, which I came across through my deep passion for learning more about African history, culture, and society. I'm also very passionate about social justice and would say that my life goal is to contribute to bringing about substantive change and human flourishing on the African continent.  Prior to starting ANIM Naturals, I worked in development economics as a research associate at MIT's JPAL Research unit for 2 years. Before that I attended university at UCT where I did a B.Com Economics and Finance, and an honours degree in Finance, which I hardly ever use.

I love travelling, particularly on the African continent and hope to one day have visited all of the countries on the continent. I'm a big appreciator of the creative arts, particularly fine art and music. I love Jazz and long walks on Sea Point promenade.

- On why she decided to start her brand

I had transitioned to wearing my hair natural (refraining from using chemical straighteners) in my honours year at university. I stopped relaxing my hair and began to cut off the chemically processed parts and allow the natural hair to grow. For me that experience was one of profound self actualisation. For the first time I saw my hair in its natural state, as it grew out of my head and there was very little information or products on the market to aid me in taking care of my natural hair. My mom then introduced me to Shea butter which is processed manually in the North of Ghana from the Shea nut. She told me how she had grown up using this amazing butter for everything from head to toe. I began using it, and as other friends began the journey of returning to natural hair I advised them on what to do and gave them some shea butter for free. In 2016, in my second year of masters, funding restrictions gave me the push to start a business out of helping women of colour return to natural, and that’s how ANIM Naturals (f.k.a AKAN Organics) was born.

- On what the reception has been

People seem to love the brand. It’s simple, minimalistic and promises quality, which is everything. We've been very lucky to have received funding for the business at the very early stages so we were able to really get out there and make ourselves known to this exciting burgeoning market. We launched the initial four product offering in 2016, and have used all the reviews and feedback we've received from customers to improve and enhance the product offering that you see today. So we really do a lot of design-thinking and design everything around the end user, and I think people pick up on that and appreciate that about the brand. All of our products are made from at least 97% naturally derived ingredients that have been sustainably sourced from across the African continent; so we really pride ourselves in making high quality products and I think we are also known for that in the market. We are listed on most of the major online marketplaces (Zando, Takealot etc), our products are available in a number of small physical stores and salons in every major city in South Africa and later this year it will, God willing, be available in major retailers too.

- On her hopes for the brand

The short term plans for the business are to scale up production and increase our distribution channels by listing the products in major retailers in South Africa. Long term plans are to expand the social responsibility aspect of our business by contributing to the improvement of employment outcomes, health care, and education in the Shea processing communities in the North of Ghana where we source our raw materials from. We are also working with a Shea processing Cooperative in the North of Ghana to see how we can even further contribute to the lives of the women who make the amazing shea butter and black soap we use in our products. In the near future we'd also like to get both fair trade and organic certification for all of our products.

Follow them on:

instagram: @animnaturals

Facebook. facebook.com/animnaturals

www.animnaturals.co.za

South African Entrepreneurs Creating Awareness

The first female entrepreneur is Sarah Jane, who created the brand ESJAY SPORTSWEAR.  She is a 26 year old go-getter from Durban who loves the ocean and being active.  Her hobbies include playing hockey, surfing, running, drawing, and photography.  Sarah completed a 4 year Honours degree in graphic design from Stellenbosch University, and used this skill, and love of sports and all things creative as the momentum for establishing her own sportswear brand.  One day she would love to take it further and open her own health shop, too.

Sarah says that not much has changed from when she was a young girl, as she still spends much of her day in shorts and takkies.   She believes that if you look and feel good in yourself, you are able to train better.  In her words, “you need to be confident and comfortable to get your best results”, which is exactly what ESJAY aims to do.  In providing comfortable, and stylish workout gear it also provides you with the ultimate workout experience.

Sarah is grateful for her support system that helped in getting her small business off the ground.  She has had family and friends (her day 1 Esjay babe Kelly Evans deserves a shout out) supporting her from the start who helped in kick-starting it, as well as helping Sarah to make adjustments in the ranges in order to reach a stage in the brand where she is proud of the product and the response.  She is grateful for the support from them all, and that they wear the brand with such pride (and keep coming back for more)!

Sarah has also used her products and her platform to create awareness for causes that are close to her heart.   Her latest endeavour is what caught my interest, as she has created her newest set of sportswear based on the designs of a 14 year old boy, named Luca, who is battling leukaemia.  Luca drew the pictures of the sunflowers, and Sarah worked with Sarch Designs in order to turn them into this beautiful print.  Accompanied with this range is the plea for people to register as blood stem cell donors, as Luca is still desperately looking for a match.  Her hope is that after a run or yoga session, when someone compliments the sportswear, the person wearing it can tell them a bit about Luca and about becoming a blood stem cell donor.  She hopes that by using his design, this can create more awareness for Luca and help in some small way.  Sarah is definitely using her brand and platform for good, and hopes that you can become conscious of this and consider becoming a donor too.

Find her on Instagram @esjay_sports if you would like to find out more.

Our second entrepreneur is Amy.  She is presently a candidate architect, and plans to be a professional architect after passing her board exam at the end of the year.  Amy lives with her husband, Louwrens, and their spaniel, Mia, in Queenstown where they both work at the same architecture firm.  Their undertaking, Honey & I, became an extension of their shared interests and hobbies; as well as Amy’s environmental awareness about the plight of bees in the ecosystem.

As an advocate of environmentally friendly living, Amy decided to improve her understanding of the bee habitat by taking part in a bee keeping course.  Louwrens encouraged Amy to pursue her interests and the two of them attended a two-day course, conducted by John Moodie, at Honeywood Farm in July last year.  After this, her curiosities grew deeper into the intricate life of bees, which quickly turned into a new hobby.  They are both now registered with the Department of Agriculture as beekeepers, with their own practising numbers.  They have since removed 12 hives from buildings, and are happy with the new law stating that bees have to be removed and not exterminated, which means that people are realising the importance of bees in our eco-system.

They have started a small apiary at the family farm in Sterkstroom, and presently have 7 hives with the hope of more.  Their greatest reward, amongst the difficulties of beekeeping, was producing their first batch of honey towards the end of last year.  They decided to give a taste of this to the community, and the brand Honey & I was formed!  Not without its difficulties, a process of trial and error, and a kitchen full of bees; Amy has turned this into an opportunity for entrepreneurship, as well as environmental awareness and social change. 

The name is a clever play on words of a couple working in the honey industry, and their aims are to have the brand create awareness of the declining bee population.  While Louwrens focuses more on the removal of bee hives, Amy creates the products.  The brand is environmentally friendly as it encourages recycling.  The products are sold in glass jars, and if customers return these they receive a discount on their next purchase.  Many consumers are starting to take advantage of this scheme.   Amy has always been an activist against animal testing, and makes sure to use only natural ingredients in her products after researching their benefits in order to enhance the items that she makes.   She is also trying to create social awareness in the community by involving a man in Sterkstroom that makes baskets for a living.  Amy is presently building a relationship with him and buying baskets in order to make hampers for her products, and to showcase his crafts to a new market.  She hopes that her business can grow more so that she can become involved with more people like this man, who have amazing talents that can be taken to greater heights.  Amy is also supplying a local nursery called Kwa Majuba, with raw, unprocessed honey; which is healthier and retains many of the good enzymes which are often lost in the heating process of commercial honey.

Her products include:

·         Honey

·         Honey Butter

·         Body Butter

·         Body Scrub

·         Lip Balm

·         Beeswax Polish

As the Honey & I team are young designers, they have created pamphlets that are attached to the products which enlighten the customers about bee facts, products, and information on how to make a difference from your own back yard.  Amy is so passionate about her endeavour and says that her passion and knowledge keeps growing.  She hopes that her story can inspire awareness of our bees and the vital role that they play in the natural environment.

Contact her on louwamyvdw@gmail.com to find out more about her work.

About This Blog

The internet has become a place where people hide behind a keyboard and anonymity and tear one another down.  I googled “women of the week” in order to see if a blog like this already existed and all that came up were links to what celebrities had worn during a specific week.  I hope that you are as sick of women being measured up by their appearance as I am, and that this blog can have a different atmosphere.  I wanted to start this blog to provide the space to lift one another up and to celebrate and share in the stories and hardships of women all around the world. 

I’ve always wanted to write something noteworthy, but haven’t felt comfortable enough to share about my life and travels, and didn’t think that anyone would be interested in it.  But witnessing friends and people that I’ve met around the world flourish and prosper, it feels like that’s something incredible and worth sharing.   

I originally wanted to start a newsletter that went out every week, but for now I only have the means to start small and use the people around me in my life as a gateway.  My hope is to create a platform on which people feel comfortable sharing their stories.  I want to focus on the achievements of women as well as their struggles, to delve into the deeper matters and let everyone know that they are not alone in what they are going through.  I hope that soon enough we can talk about the hardships of identity, of grief, of loss, and of hope; as well as support one another’s accomplishments.  

I would like to turn this into a community and enrich our understanding of different cultures and to learn and grow from stories from all over the world.  I am open to suggestions and recommendations of amazing women in your life to feature on here.  Please feel free to send any, or to submit poetry, art, book reviews, or links to interesting articles to womenoftheweekblog@gmail.com

Please note this space is non-exclusive and non-binary, anyone who wishes to feature here is welcome (I just like alliterations).  Let this be a platform where people feel comfortable and accepted.

Thanks for making it this far! I hope that you enjoy this and celebrate in how amazing and resilient everyday women are.