Johannesburg - Most small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) manufacturing cosmetic brands close shop due to a lack of access to mainstream retail stores.
But Gontse Kgokolo (34) and Rearabetswe Dire (29) bit the bullet when they went into partnership and opened their shop, Edenvinne, to cater for people like them. The duo said after they were turned down by numerous retail stores, the need became apparent.
For them, they moved from rejection to retailer. Edenvinne, located at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria, is a beauty and grooming retail store that now sells many South African cosmetic brands.
Edenvinne currently has 45 different South African brands listed in-store and over 400 variants of products which include cosmetic products such as facial and skin care, body care, personal care, hair care, fragrances, hair grooming, male grooming products, cosmetic accessories and home accessories.
Dire, who also owns BoldxBrand, a company that manufactures perfumes, said they saw that they needed a store that would exclusively sell South African cosmetic brands.
“We saw a need for a store that exclusively sells South African brands in the cosmetics industry because we were rejected by a number of big corporations along with many other SMMEs. Most SMMEs that operate in the cosmetics industry want to expand their customer reach, and the best possible way to do that is to go into retail stores where consumers have the opportunity to physically interact with the products,” said Dire.
Kgokolo said most retail shops want their products but also expect them to change what their brands stand for.
“The industry is worth billions, yet less than 10% of South African businesses are represented within this industry on a retail level. Edenvinne has created a store which allows local brands to be easily accessible and visible in a prominent retail mall. In the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the opening of e-commerce stores among SMMEs."
"This increase has been proven that it is as a result of the limited retail opportunities afforded to start-ups and SMMEs. Edenvinne aims to bridge this gap and allow SMMEs that are emerging from South Africa to enter the retail space,” said Kgokolo.
The two ladies took it upon themselves to self-fund their retail company, which specialises in local beauty and grooming products only, after being rejected by big companies like Clicks and other institutions that are said to fund businesses of young people and SMMEs in the country.
Both entrepreneurs hold several qualifications under their belts and vast business experiences, but it was in 2021 that they realised that rejection and a lack of financial support would not deter them from achieving their goals and helping other SMMEs in the country.
Kgokolo holds two Honours degrees - one in Consumer Science, majoring in Strategic & Business and one in Business Management. She founded KwaneleSA, a hair brand that launched Africa’s first natural hair straightener.
Dire holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, and is currently studying towards her PhD. Edenvinne has been in existence for two years, and while the ladies are currently based in Pretoria, they look to expand their business and have a footprint across the country.
To have a look at the range of products they have in store, visit their website https://edenvinne.co.za/. Local entrepreneurs are also encouraged to get in touch with the founders of Edenvinne to have their products sold there.