Celebrated broadcast journalist Terryanne Chebet is the founder of Keyara Botanics, a skincare label making natural products using raw materials sourced locally.
The company makes among other products shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, macadamia oil and black African soap.
Chebet recently disclosed that she started running her business from the boot of her car.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
In an interview with the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK), the former Citizen TV news anchor said she started the business after her daughter was diagnosed with eczema.
Eczema is a skin condition in which patches of skin become inflamed, itchy, cracked and rough or it may have blisters.
Chebet explained that she started Keyara to find solutions for her daughter and other mothers whose children are battling the same condition.
While starting off, she had no physical location to sell her products from and she would keep them in her car boot.
“I started Keyara Botanics from the boot of my car saying that there may be other mothers who want the same products and the same solution for their children,” she said.
It was not long before she went an extra step and launched a website where she sells the products from.
They offer countrywide deliveries; 24 hours for deliveries within Nairobi and 48 hours for deliveries outside Nairobi.
The company offers a range of natural products formulated using the purest and premium oils, butters and scents.
They include Shea Butter from Northern Uganda, Cocoa Butter from Ghana, Coconut Oil from Kenya, Marula Oil from South Africa and Kenya and Argan oil from Morocco.
“It is time the world begins to see the other side of Africa. Some of the world’s most luxurious skincare brands source their premium oils from Africa, but we, Africans, are left to only export raw materials and rarely benefit from the opportunities in value addition,” Chebet said during the launch of the company.
They stock their products at GoodLife pharmacies, Mimosa pharmacies, MedWorld, Nipambe Cosmetics and Linton’s Beauty World among other places.