In mid-July this year (16th – 30th), we will be visiting Swaziland, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa. Our main purpose for going there is to visit Swazi Indigenous Products (SIP), our marula oil producer partners. SIP, which began as a project to help rural Swazi women generate income from local plant materials, is now a full member of WFTO, the World Fair Trade Organisation and a member of the Union of Ethical Biotrade.

The project is 100% owned by its raw material suppliers – the marula oil harvesters. About 2,600 rural Swazi women harvest marula kernels for SIP, which has a factory in Mpaka in the heart of the Swazi lowveld. With its own brand name – Swazi Secrets – the project produces a unique range of natural skin care products using the marula oil and other indigenous plant materials. By producing finished cosmetic products themselves, as opposed to exporting raw materials, all of the value adding activities are retained in Swaziland, enabling higher levels of skills development as well as a higher local earning potential.

Our visit will be a fantastic opportunity to meet the members of the production team face-to-face and to visit and speak to some of the marula harvesters. We plan to keep you updated with photos and blog posts while we’re there.

View the Swazi Secrets product range in our online shop or visit the website of Swazi Secrets for more information about the producers.