How Njeri Wachira built Organics by Njeri

Njeri Wachira was a campus student in 2018 when she stumbled upon a solution to her dry-skin challenge, which would become her skincare business, Organics by Njeri.

“The lotion or whatever I applied on the skin to moisturise would fade away, leaving my skin pale. And when someone would notice and say, “Ah, your skin is ashy”, it used to bother me. So, I just stopped wearing dresses,” Njeri recalls.

A family member who was a frequent flyer gifted her shea butter from Accra’s Makola Market which worked. This sparked a light bulb moment for Njeri, “I was like, wait a minute, it’s working for me, so other people would need it too. If you struggle with dry skin, you should experience shea butter. That is when I started selling it.”

At first, the business was just a way to supplement her pocket money and fund her partying with friends. But upon graduating in Forensic Science, which had a biochemistry component, Njeri got serious.

“I did a class on body butters; I read. I was always on YouTube, learning about the melting points, trying to understand. That’s when I started making body butter,” says Njeri.

The Covid pandemic shutdown was a blessing in disguise. Njeri honed her skills and latched onto emerging e-commerce trends taking root.

Over the last five years, Njeri has matured as a businessperson. She navigates cross-border supply chains, personally sourcing from Ghana and Uganda. She has learnt how to price her different products and how to receive and even seek feedback from her clients.

Organics by Njeri is no longer the fledgling campus venture. It now gets orders from companies, rents shelf space in Nairobi CBD and features at pop-up and farmers’ markets.

Exhibiting at a national expo was an unforgettable milestone.

“I remember the next station was Britam. I’ll never forget. They had their big banners. Meanwhile, I had never had a banner before that exhibition. At the entrance, when we were doing the registration for vendors, they had asked us to share our logos. So, my logo was in the middle of all the household big brands. And it was like, what? I did this? It was such a good learning experience,” Njeri proudly remembers.

Starting small and compounding little steps, believing in your product, and finding your niche and customers are the lessons Njeri shares with anyone getting into business.

Growing up in Mweiga in Nyeri County, Njeri was inspired by her mum’s drive, and she counts her as her role model in business and her biggest cheerleader.