Influenced by her passion for fragrances, Kgomotso Twagirayezu went a step further to establish a fragrance manufacturing company, Shedol Group which today produces an assortment of fragrances as well as skin care products.
“We manufacture skin care range, fragrances, cosmetics with our main focus being on our indigenous oils and butters such as morula and baobab oil,” said Twagirayezu who holds a Diploma in Cosmetic manufacturing and Associate Degree in Public Relations.
The business was started in 2018 manufacturing only fragrances and has since grown to incorporate a range of skin care products and employs eight permanently.
“As the founder of the Shedol Group, I have a passion for fragrances and I always wondered how a perfume is produced. So, I started doing some research which eventually led to the establishment of the business,” explained Twagirayezu who hails from Kanye.
Twagirayezu said she started buying raw materials locally and started mixing to produce fragrances and gave her family and friends to sample them.
“One day somebody came and said why don’t you sell what you are making, and that marked the birth of Shedol,” recalled Twagirayezu, adding that her sister has since joined her as a business partner.
Having started selling the products from door to door, Shedol has since grown to list its products with major retail stores and having their own kiosks in major shops.
“The company has grown since inception; we might not be where we really want to be. Right now we are preparing to start exporting our products. One of the major challenges we are facing is convincing customers that our products are 100 percent natural,” she said.
While the company sources most of its raw materials locally, Twagirayezu said they had to look outside as well, especially South Africa where the company also sources some of its raw materials due to limited supply locally.
“With time we will get there, that is why we are trying to penetrate the export market because we have seen a positive response from abroad from the few orders we have got from outside,” explained Twagirayezu saying the company wants to export at a larger scale.
If things go according to plan, Shedol Group aims to have started exporting its products in October this year.
However, she said by the look of things it might be earlier than that.
Although her ultimate target is the international market, Twagirayezu said they also want to grow the local market, but says they’re still facing a challenge with retailers to list Shedol products.
“We are fighting tooth and nail to get our positions in the retail shelves and after getting spaces there, then you have to get the products off the shelves, which means people have to buy for them to put in another order,” she said.