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 that are edible from raw materials obtained f
rom the wild of the country.
With a startup capital of less than $50, 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 realised 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.
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 with 17 direct employees and hundreds of indirect employees across the country, according to Violet.
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.
Viol
et, who is not afraid of challenges but sees them as opportunities, has advised the youth to stay positive and never look to any challenge as something that is insurmountable.
