A natural glow

Meet the boss

Using the land to make people look good

A qualified accountant, Didintle Moreki has put her career on hold, swapping Ledgers for looks as she focuses on her unique range of home-grown beauty products.

Founded in 2019, Organic Naturals Skincare uses indigenous plants to produce a variety of skincare products – currently their product line consists of 12 items, such as soaps, clay masks, serums, toners and body oils.

For Moreki, 26, the company was a dream three years in the making, borne out of the frustration of failing to find moisturisers and creams that suited her skin as well as Botswana’s hot, dry climate.

This is her story to date…

• Briefly introduce yourself?

I am from Kanye and I’m an accountant, a graduate from Botho University.

• So how does a qualified accountant end up starting a skincare business?

Organic Naturals Skincare was born after a personal struggle to find skincare products made in Botswana for my skin and the weather. Organic Naturals Skincare is a local manufacturing skincare company that started operation in 2019, but birthed in 2016 after I had my acne that took on for years.

Organic Naturals Skincare exists to empower African women and men to show up confidently. We are a manufacturing company that uses indigenous plants such as moringa, mowana (baobab), morula to manufacture skincare products offering an organic, skin retaining product to our end user. At conception our start product was a scrub and exfoliants.

• Making such oils and scrubs must require a certain amount of skill and know-how; as an accountant by trade, where did you acquire the relevant ability?

I have a Certificate of Cosmetics Formulation from Nairobi Vocational Training Institute (Kenya) and Cosmetic Formulator online with AOCS [American Oil Chemists’ Society] where I’m awaiting graduation.

• Ah fair enough. So tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind the products you make?

My grandmother, she shared how traditionally they would use morula oil as a moisturizer. This is where the need stemmed from. It has since transitioned in believing acne, dry skin and hyper-pigmentation can be solved using plants in our ecosystem.

• How is the business doing and the products performing?

Like everything in life, business has processes too. We ought to educate Batswana on the use of indigenous knowledge to create skincare products. While your question is fair to ask, I honestly feel it isn’t as important! I guess the question for every reader, and you, should be: have you used an Organic Naturals Skincare product? What was your experience like?

• I’m actually using your Moringa Body Oil and I must say it’s extremely refreshing – really gives me a lift when I’m feeling low! Anyway, enough about my beauty routine, what challenges does the business face?

Convincing Batswana that we can be a manufacturing nation too!

• And how difficult/easy is it to access raw materials?

Availability varies depending on the season. As we all know, climate change is a big shift and its impacts are felt throughout various elements: from plants to finance and sustainability of plants. As Organic Naturals Skincare, we are seeking various ways of solving this, including having supply of certain raw materials in seasons in which the raw materials are unavailable, including seeking how we can help communities replant these raw materials.

• What do you consider your company’s major highlight since setting up shop?

We have many highlights throughout. The latest was being published in the Forbes Africa 2022/2023 Magazine. Forbes 2022 was hosted in Botswana, we took the opportunity to sell the narrative of skincare products made in Botswana and how indigenous plants can be impactful in the communities. Along with Forbes Africa, we knew the importance of telling the Botswana story beyond commonality of diamonds and tourism.

• There is a belief that Batswana tend to shun local products and go for exports – have you found this to be the case?

Firstly I disagree with the first narrative; you will be shocked to find out how many Batswana are patriotic about solutions made in Botswana. Like every other client, selling is about experience, quality and education. Get these right and you win a market. Batswana are just like that. Serve them and yes it will take a while. We make sure we teach people about our products so they understand the use and the benefits of our products. We do this by doing activations in the malls, social media and word of mouth.

• How has the UNDP Supplier Development Programme benefitted Organic Naturals?

The facilitation of meeting buyers and sellers as well as training and market access conversations through the ATISA program just lit us up. This award recognizes a YouthConnekt Africa Hub beneficiary who has shown visible results of improvement.

As a note, when receiving the award we were highlighted that we did not only meet this criteria but also our resilience as well as our responsiveness and always coming up with ideas for the programme to better serve the beneficiaries.

• What unique features help Organic Naturals Skincare stand out from the rest?

Our products are organic and natural, made specifically for African women and men with the understanding of African skin and climate.

• Where can your products be found locally?

Our products are available at Choppies Hyper stores in Gaborone, Pulse Pharmacies across the country, Health Alternatives Stores across the country, The Health Hut – at Maun, TNT Pharmacy and at our warehouse in LEA Leather Incubator at Gaborone Station.

• What new products have you introduced recently?

In the past two years we have launched three products. In October 2022, we launched a product called Niacinamide Botanical Serum.

• Amongst all of your products, which one is the best selling?

It is hard to single out one but Mowana and Morula serum are the best selling.

• How much do your products cost?

Prices range from P45.95 to P120. So P45.95 is the average price of a bar of soap but in some stores the price is slightly different at P51.95.

• And finally, what does the future hold for Organic Naturals Skincare?

A lot of diversifying of indigenous knowledge to solve many other skin pains.