Portia’s her name and skincare’s her game
THE Pick n Pay 2018 Small Supplier of The Year Award has gone to entrepreneur Portia Mngomezulu for the exceptional growth, performance and job creation of her business, Portia M Skin Solutions.
Portia Mngomezulu’s skincare line was inspired by her journey through motherhood. In 2010, the young mother had developed stretch marks from her pregnancy. Her mother-in-law suggested using Marula oil to treat the scarring. The results of Marula oil on Mngomezulu’s skin were so astonishing that she was inspired to tackle entrepreneurship.
Mngomezulu began her business by investing R200, with which she bought Marula oil directly from rural women in Limpopo and bottled it herself. She reinvested the profits in her then-sidebusiness and slowly created a range of 12 products for men and women, with her venture growing to a multimillion-rand business employing 27 full-time staff members. It has quickly expanded into Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana.
Despite her focus, business did not come naturally to Mngomezulu. She studied a supplier development programme at GIBS and toured South Africa with Absa’s Women in Business seminar. It was in 2015 that Pick n Pay’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme noticed Portia’s products and invited her to meet their health and beauty buyer.
“The programme gave me the opportunity to pitch my products to a buyer and within a week I was told I had secured a spot on their shelves. This was the greatest day of my business life,” says Portia.
The programme enabled Portia to grow her brand. The mother’s journey through the retail world was not easy but, like all successful entrepreneurs, Portia was inspired by a simple product and was able to spot its demand.
Mishinga Seyuba Kombo, manager of Pick n Pay’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme, spoke proudly of the programme’s success with small entrepreneurs.
“This growth is not only encouraging for their businesses, but for the communities they serve.” – Staff Reporter