Didintle Moreki recently won a P250,000.00 cash prize through the Pitch day for homegrown innovation solutions, an initiative by Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub (BDIH) in partnership with First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) Foundation which aims to boost the private sector’s role in economic recovery. Out of 11 companies in the competition, Organic Naturals Skin Care as an existing business was awarded the cash prize price to further grow and develop their business.
Organic Naturals Skincare was born out of my desperate need to solve my confidence problem. If l had known those years back that the scrubs l was making would turn into my life mission, l would have laughed out loud. Organic Naturals Skincare sold its first jars to Botho University lecturers. Every time l say this, l tear up because those two ladies, Mma Sametsi Ditshupo and her friend bought jars because l was a student they believed in.
In my opinion, this is what entrepreneurs need, someone to believe in them. Soon these two customers grew. In 2018, l bravely decided that an African story of skincare made in Botswana had to be told. It was indeed time to produce a skincare product that was specifically designed to understand African skin and understand the African climate. After testing and formulating, l kept a lot of things close to the manuscript of telling the African story. Our story is inspired by science found in indigenous plants sourced locally.
The dream is to create a ripple effect that grows the local economy as we scale. This has been the basics since its birth in Maun on March 2019. A tourist town where 3 in every 5 women are the main breadwinners in their families. We believe beauty empowers women and men to show up. Our Organic Naturals story is about confidence and exclusivity, today the core of Organic Naturals Skincare is to empower and support African women to sustain and support their families.
In 2 years and 9 months, the journey is clear, our mission is clearer. I lead a team of five brilliant women who hold half the sky up. Thanks to them, we have recently closed our round 1 of Angel Funding from local Angel investors in Botswana. The partnership was intentional, a move to unlock our potential and reach for an international audience with key networks and minds.
The year 2021 has been a tough year, to scale a business in a pandemic pulls a lot from you. The Organic Naturals Skincare team deserves the shout out, a great thank you to supporting partnerships with bodies such as Botho University (I always say, l embody the mission my University has), Angel Network Botswana, Botswana Innovation Hub (l think they are tired of me already), Botswana Investment Trade Centre, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Business Supplier Development Programme (SDP) and the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA). To sum it off, winning the cash prize of P250,000.00 on the 9th November 2021, from the Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub (BDIH) partnership with FNBB Foundation pitch day initiative validates our dream.
