Keeping the Jua Kali sector in the digital space

SME BIO: Catherine Gichunge is a technical analyst and consultant for mobile payments and supports end to end implementation of deployment of mobile money platforms. She is a member of the MPESA pioneering team.
Catherine is the founder of Red Ant International and Bella Organics

Rent Ant International

There are 44 million people in Kenya, and this number is growing at 2% per annum. 40% of Kenyans are unemployed, while 70% of Kenyans are below 30 years of age. 72% of the population is rural-based.
Many Kenyans have excellent skills having undergone training in the numerous universities and polytechnics across Kenya. Employers mainly focus on academic qualifications and not necessarily skills. These corporates employ qualified Degree or MBA holders.

The Red Ant Directory is a service for all Kenyans in the Informal Sector and covers Kenyans of lower academic qualifications but are highly skilled in the Jua Kali Sector. It makes it easy for Kenyans with special skills to access employers by advertising their skills on our website through a simple registration process.
We aim to enable ordinary Kenyans to reach potential employers easily without having to travel long distances to get to the city, and thereby revolutionize the way Kenyans at the bottom of the pyramid sell off their skills and items finally bringing together employees and employers and cutting the percentage of unemployment drastically to achieve better social-economic status.

Bella Organics

The founder tripped and fell and hurt her arm. A Nigerian colleague rubbed the arm in some funny strong smelling oil. She was stunned when her arm was okay in a few days, what could have taken longer. She enquired about it and was told about the wonders of Shea. She asked for more of it and used it on her skin. She used it on her daughter.

“The Shea was organic so I was not worried about allergies.” Her daughter’s eczema cleared. Catherine was sold, hook line sinker. She ordered 10 kilogrammes and brought it to Kenya. And thus Bella Organics was born.
“Kenyans don’t know much about the benefits of shear butter because we don’t have the tree that produces the nut that makes shea butter. We know more about the coconut.” The Nigerian Shea has healing properties and incidentally is not as commercialised as other butters.

Bella Organics procudes and packages the raw organic product for skin and hair care. They also specialise in other complimentary natural beauty products such as Black soap powder (Dudu) Camwood (Ossun), Dudu Ossun – a combi of all plus black soap bar – Cocoa Butter, Bentonite Clay, and Chebe powder.
“These products heal the common skin conditions such as acne, eczema and also act as a sun protector.” Catherine says and adds, Kenyans generally do not bleach and most have natural skins. The only hitch is sun burn because we also do not use sunscreen and so you find many people with dark patches especially on forehead because of sun burn.” In this regards, Catherine demonstrates the healing power of Bella Organics.
“Bella Organic’s Shea butter in its raw form has PSF 10, a natural sun screen. We use a combination of Black Soap powder and Shea to achieve both the healing of sun burn and the protection against the same.”
The entrepreneur has a demo centre, a store in Westlands where she offers her customers a free facial and consultation.
“We call our products a Magic Pack because; nature has simply provided everything under these natural nuts and seeds.
Pure Shea butter has a distinct scent, which disappears within minutes of applying once exposed to air. However, for her customers who would prefer other scents, Bella Organics comes in a variety of them, including vanilla, eucalyptus and peppermint.

“We usually advise those customers with skin conditions to start with the raw Shea butter for healing first before using the one with added scents.”
Extensive research on the components and benefits of shea butter is yet to be done but, Catherine, with her training in food sciences uses her background to formulate products with the right ingredients.
“Nature has provided for everything. Some of our customers have reported added benefits that we did not know about such as stronger nails.”
The entrepreneur says that the profit margins are not as great as they would be if they were to use additives for mass production.

“We are keen on introducing our customers to natural products that heal without harm. This means that we can only offer our products in their purest form.” They deliver countrywide and through word of mouth, they have orders in other countries, including Europe.

How does GS1 support a business like Bella Organics?

• Traceability, assurance of genuine product, to beat counterfeit.
• Provision of identity through barcoding and for resell in supermarkets and cosmetic retails chains.
• Offer training and support about traceability.
• Print and digital publication that offers members advertising space at an affordable rate as well as exposure.
• Free updates, and information on the GS1 standards and developments both locally and internationally.

To experience Bella Organics, visit New Westlands County Market, Woodvale Groove, Westlands, store no. C43 on 2nd floor or contact them through their online pages.