I had toyed with the idea of starting a business but it never really got past an idea in my head. I had been working in Supply Chain for about a decade at this point and even though it wasn’t as exciting as Sales & Marketing and quite a thankless job (you get the blame for anything that goes wrong in a business), I have always been a numbers person and it was my thing.
This changed in 2018, I had just been made redundant as a Supply Planning Manager for a cosmetics company and had gone from getting a free allocation every month to paying over £30 for a little tub of body cream. That’s when I turned to my roots in what was initially a cost saving exercise.
As you know, I am of Ghanaian heritage and in most households you will find a tub of Shea butter in some form. Because it is natural and full of vitamins and anti-inflammatory properties it is used from babies up until adulthood. However it has an acquired scent and has a rather thick consistency so although ok in winter it does feel like wearing a second skin in the summertime.
So, having time on my hands at the time, I channelled my late Grandmother, my ancestors and did a bit of research and to see how I could make this block of Shea butter a palatable body butter that I could use all year round.
As I was making these butters, it still was just a cost saving exercise and I went into contracting so it was really something that I looked to making a business, it was more for me, my friends and family.
Then the Pandemic hit and contracts were hard to come by, so with a bit of encouragement from friends and family, I set up this website. Then as luck would have it, I was employed by the Department of Health on their COVID programme purchasing the supplies for the testing kits so again this “business” went on the back burner. Following on from that I went back into a permanent position and so while I as happy with the odd purchase coming through the my site, I had a regular paycheck (haha), so I got comfortable.
My Shea Butter is purchased from Ghana, I am working with local cooperatives to ensure that they are paid directly and not through a middle man. I purchase my cocoa butter from local markets in Ghana and as much as I can, I purchase my other ingredients from local suppliers in UK and in Ghana. All my products are made with from natural oils and scents and I do not use any additives to prolong shelf life so the butters usually last around 6 months but increase if you keep in the fridge or freezer.
This brings me to 2024, as luck would have it I was made redundant (again) and this time as much as I was applying for jobs, it was radio silent. In August, my local authority invited me to join a pop-up market which did very well and I have been partnering with them on various events over the last 8 months. They also gave me access to a business advisor (for free) who has helped me with my business plan. So here we are. I am still looking for contract roles right now as I am not in a position to live on this business yet, but in parallel, I will be attending pop up events around town and who knows where this business can take me.
If you do refrigerate, once ready to use, bring it out and leave it until it is room temperature, it does not taint the feel or scent.
Now I believe in God and I believe that the events that have occurred over the last year have been because of his purpose for me, so I am going along with this journey.
If you would like to see more please feel free to click on the link below!
