Francesca Opoku Solution Oasis, a Ghanaian manufacturing enterprise based by Francesca Opoku, first began promoting beauty merchandise beneath its Beauty Secrets model in 2008. The company processes components similar to shea butter, cocoa butter, pure oils and herbs into cleaning soap, lotions and bathe gel. Jeanette Clark speaks to Opoku about her imaginative and prescient for an export-oriented model, discovering prospects and the chance she sees beneath the African Continental Free Trade Area. While Francesca Opoku was finishing her diploma on the University of Ghana Business School, she dreamt of opening her personal magnificence merchandise retailer. After commencement, she landed a company job but it surely quickly turned evident that working for another person didn’t match her temperament or aspirations. She revived her preliminary entrepreneurial desires and began doing market analysis. Opoku was accustomed to utilizing cocoa butter as a magnificence product however wished to create her personal as an alternative of utilizing one other model. So, 15 years in the past, she started with 100 jars of cocoa butter moisturiser made in her eating room. Setting up for export, from day one “As with each start-up, there was quite a lot of uncertainty,” she says of these early days. “I used to be afraid I had not executed sufficient analysis or had the proper sources. I needed to really feel my method via these preliminary years.” Opoku repeatedly labored on her marketing strategy and tailored her product formulation, recruited the proper crew and refined her advertising and marketing technique. She wished to place her merchandise for export. For instance, she paid particular consideration to the packaging, ensuring to incorporate each English and French, and likewise began the method for export certification as quickly as potential. When she added shea butter merchandise to Beauty Secret’s stock, she joined the Global Shea Alliance to develop her community and achieve publicity at worldwide conferences. “This is the place I acquired my first correct export order, about two years into manufacturing, from a type of conferences,” says Opoku. “We have been promoting regionally. A number of prospects would purchase inventory and take it over the border, however we had no official export prospects till then.” Face-to-face advertising and marketing Personal contact with potential prospects helped safe an export deal. Opoku believes this method additionally helped to develop Solution Oasis’ home market. Having a presence at bazaars, festivals and commerce reveals – the place face-to-face contact and interplay with prospects happen – contributed to regular and natural progress for her company. It elevated consciousness and constructed market demand to the purpose the place prospects would add the product to their trolley once they noticed it on the cabinets. Over time, Beauty Secrets has made its method into giant grocery store chains similar to Shoprite and Palace. It can also be stocked in pharmacies and smaller outlets and has a kiosk within the duty-free part of Accra’s worldwide airport. The company additionally ramped up its on-line presence throughout and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The company employs 20 folks at its manufacturing unit. Product diversification The company has three manufacturers: Beauty Secrets, Exotic Men and Kipenzi. The latter is a luxurious model that Opoku continues to be within the technique of launching. When she made her first batch of cocoa butter moisturisers in 2008, Opoku was satisfied they’d be a success. While it did effectively, it was not the company’s best-seller. “The shea physique butter was much more fashionable and once we launched the black cleaning soap, it outstripped gross sales of all the opposite merchandise.” Black cleaning soap is a conventional, pure cleaning soap with no caustic soda, made in West Africa. It normally accommodates ash, which provides it its darkish color. Beauty Secret makes use of coconut and palm kernel oil with shea butter and cocoa pod ash. “We make it the normal method and add important oils similar to eucalyptus with different components like honey and lemongrass,” says Opoku. Production and sourcing The company employs 20 folks in its manufacturing unit, the place solely round 20% of the processes are mechanised. “We use a melting machine and some imported ending machines for the packaging, however the remaining continues to be very guide, from the cleaning soap manufacturing to the moulding,” says Opoku. Many of the primary steps for manufacturing already occur on the supply. Solution Oasis companions with over 200 ladies farming co-operatives throughout the nation from whom it procures the mandatory components. These ladies gather, knead and mill shea nuts or begin the oil extraction course of. The manufacturing unit could make about 2,000 bars of cleaning soap a day or 300kg lotion per batch. “We wait till we have now sufficient demand for a particular product after which produce,” explains Opoku. Follow the traits Solution Oasis invitations suggestions from prospects, adapting its product providing to what’s in demand. The company has, for instance, been made conscious of a rising curiosity in hair care merchandise and can contemplate creating a variety when the time is correct. However, the present development driving technique is the worldwide transfer in direction of natural and pure merchandise. What Opolu finds much more thrilling is an rising choice from customers on the continent for African-origin merchandise. “We promote genuine merchandise utilizing recipes which have been round for generations.” Opoku is adamant: although she already has a rising buyer base in Asia and the US, the subsequent 10 years will probably be all about Africa. “Strategies change. With the African Continental Free Trade Area in play, the plan for the subsequent decade is to develop into a widely known and go-to African model on the African continent.” To obtain this purpose, Opoku has recognized “hotspots” for enlargement: Nigeria in West Africa, Kenya in East Africa and South Africa within the south. “I’m not actually aiming for North Africa. That market has not but acquired the style for genuine African merchandise, which my progress plan requires. As a lot as I proceed to serve my prospects within the US and Asia, the main focus will probably be nearer to house.” She reveals she is researching product and company registration in a few of these hotspots. “I wish to construct a market first, pushing volumes from Ghana, earlier than investing in manufacturing in these markets. It simply makes extra sense,” she provides. Solutions Oasis CEO Francesca Opoku’s contact data Contact particulars are solely seen to our Monthly/Annual subscribers. Subscribe right here. Related articles
https://information.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmhvd3dlbWFkZWl0aW5hZnJpY2EuY29tL2doYW5hLWJ1aWxkaW5nLWFuLWV4cG9ydC1vcmllbnRlZC1za2luY2FyZS1jb21wYW55LzE0ODI5Ni_SAQA?oc=5
