Q&A After being retrenched from a senior position in 2010, Relebohile Moeng was involved in a life-changing accident. She chose to turn her pain into power. The idea of controlling her own destiny and leaving a lasting legacy for her children became a compelling force that gave her boldness and determination to enter an industry she knew nothing about. A year later, Afri-Berry was born. This is her story.
SHORTLY AFTER a car accident left Relebohile with over 150 stitches on her face, her search for affordable solutions to cure her scars led to the launch of her first business.
“I had experienced the amazing healing power of the organic cold pressed argan oil on my face and understood the growth of the middle class and increased spending power across many socio-economic groups in our country. Based on this, I had a strong conviction that not only should organic products be available in speciality stores or organic markets but also in our regular retail stores where we do our day-to-day shopping,” she explains. “We wanted AfriBerry to have a share in the R4,3 billion of annual sales that were being made in this market.”
Following her retrenchment in 2010, she and her husband Fabian decided the time was right to do some research into organic skin and hair products. This led to the launch of Afri-Berry in 2011.
Q What were some of the key challenges that you faced before and during the process of launching Afri-Berry?
As a new player in the beauty sector, developing our business idea in a way that was attractive to retail was our first major challenge. And because the beauty industry has such high barriers to entry, our second major challenge was gaining market share amidst international cosmetic brands.
This story is from the December 2018 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine South Africa.
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This story is from the December 2018 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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