A WOMEN-OWNED Namibian small business, which was established in 2015, is producing marula oil for cosmetic purposes.
Taneta Investment, based at the Bokamoso incubation centre at Katutura in Windhoek, is in a partnership with local rural women, from whom it buys marula kernels and combines traditional knowledge with modern technology to cold press the nuts into valuable oil.
“Marula oil can also be used for consumption, because it is edible and it is also is rich in vitamins C, E and antioxidants, which revitalise, nourish and protect skin against premature aging.
“Its light texture allows for easy absorption to keep skin moist and luminous, while marula oil-based hair products prevent hair from becoming dry and brittle,” says Namupa Nengola, the chief executive officer of the company.The company is dedicated to engaging women and ensuring sustainability and safety while producing the best quality marula oil for its clients, the former teacher says.
According to a statement from the United States (US) embassy in Namibia, the global organic cosmetics market is growing, and there are new export opportunities for Namibian-based companies like Taneta.
The company has successfully obtained organic certification with the support from the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (Satih), a project funded by the US government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In 2020, Taneta Investment purchased marula kernels from 60 rural women from the Ohangwena region in northern Namibia, but this number increased to 200 a year later.
They produce about three tonnes of oil a year.
As part of the organic certification process, the rural women involved were trained on the sustainable harvesting of marula.“The women raise their incomes and living standards by selling marula kernels to Taneta,” Nengola says.
According to the embassy, the USAID trade hub has also linked Taneta to South Africanbased trade promotion and marketing agencies, culminating in a deal with a South African natural and organic retail and skincare company for the supply of marula oil products.
Taneta has created four ranges of marula oil for various applications, such as beard oil, baby oil, face oil and hair oil.
The company is gradually increasing sales, both locally and internationally, with recent orders from Germany and Spain, and a shipment of samples to a US-based buyer in July 2022.
The company’s growing success in South African and global markets is testimony to its philosophy, which aims to sustain the ancient ways of processing marula and other fruits.
The new kids on the block of Namibian cosmetics producers are keen to protect such traditions, while simultaneously improving the livelihoods of the country’s rural women who constitute their supply chain, Nengola says.
She says she was inspired to start the business by the successes of her mother and grandmother with marula oil, as well as her own desire to make something out of it.
Taneta’s marula oil products are available at selected retail stores, the Namibia Craft Centre, and the duty-free shop at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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