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
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