The NAYA African Story

After I mastered the shea butter production, I needed to sell it. I partnered with a couple of friends, who agreed to sell the products for a commission. A couple of months later, they weren't bringing back my money, so I needed a new plan. I started selling at work and church, but I hated one on one sales. So, I started a website called "My Natural Organics". At this point, I had 2 other products; Lemon Shea Fusion and Orange & Mint Shea Fusion (two of my best sellers to date). I hired a programmer on Elance(not sure if...

This was my first product; Packaging raw unrefined shea butter. It seems like a simple task but it wasn't. Shea butter will get gritty if not cooled and packaged at the right temperature, or will not harden at all, or may need to be whipped. So I spent several months figuring out the right process to cool down shea butter, while maintaining its original form and function. This happened in my kitchen in Atlanta over 10 years ago and I still use that process today.  Many people may think it doesn't matter, because it's still shea butter, no matter what...

I work a lot. In fact, I work all the time. So this August, I'm going to discuss my work. Something I don't do a lot of, because I'll rather do it, than talk about it. Part of why I'm choosing to do this is because I get a lot of questions about my journey, and get mixed reactions about my process. I didn't plan the process, it came to be based on successes and challenges I have had building a business from scratch in a Ghana, a developing country with complexities in human resource, finance, transportation, import/export duty, taxes,...

It's been 6 years since I gave up my employee life and dedicated myself full time to the business of NAYA by Africa. Today, we boast of over 60 products in 8 product lines, 10 amazing employees who mostly had little or no experience and have gone through the learning journey with me. A retail shop(many more to come) that has hosted thousands of amazing people who have become a part of our tribe and continue to trust us with their daily personal care needs.  The market opportunity we have created for various women's groups, in Ghana, who break their...