A worker makes cosmetic products in the workshop of Skin Gourmet, in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth)
With only 50 U.S. dollars in startup capital, Ghanaian woman entrepreneur Violet Awo Amoabeng founded the cosmetics venture Skin Gourmet and has now turned it into a firm selling natural skin care products in 17 countries.
ACCRA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- In order to pursue her childhood ambition, Violet Awo Amoabeng converted an apartment she occupied in the hilly area of Achimota, a suburb of Accra, the Ghanaian capital, into a workshop for production of skincare products seven years ago.
In her thirties, Violet, who used to be the head of procurement at a local bank, is now producing skincare products from raw materials obtained from the wild of the country.
With a startup capital of less than 50 U.S. dollars, she founded Skin Gourmet in 2014 and has since nurtured it into a company that produces for both domestic and international markets.
"I was motivated to start this industry because I realized that there was a real need in this market for products that were safe enough to apply on your skin that was food-grade," said Violet.
A worker makes cosmetic products in the workshop of Skin Gourmet, in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth)
According to Violet, her company has developed 35 products, ranging from creams, bath soaps, moringa oil to shea butter.
Skin Gourmet now has become a household name in the country.
"Currently, we (our products) are sold in 17 different countries including the United States, Benin, Russia, India, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Lebanon, and Qatar. Our products are distributed in most places in Accra, supermarkets, concept shops, you can find us at spas, restaurants, pharmacies," she said. "We want to be in China, and we want to find the right distributor who is aligned with our vision."
From its humble beginning, Skin Gourmet is now worth 45,000 U.S. dollars with 17 direct employees and hundreds of indirect employees across the country, according to Violet.
A worker checks cosmetic products in the workshop of Skin Gourmet, in Accra, Ghana, in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth)
The company won the best innovative response strategy to COVID-19 during the Ghana Make-up Awards last year for producing the Skin Gourmet hand sanitizer, a unique formula for fighting the pandemic.
Violet, who is not afraid of challenges but sees them as opportunities, has advised the youth to stay positive and never see any challenge as something that is insurmountable. ■
