Khoelife Organic Soap and Oils Primary Co-operative

Promoting women entrepreneurship through marketing organic soap and cosmetics.
European Union,2014 SEED South Africa Award; European Union,2014 SEED South Africa Award; Hisense
Green Technologies
Cape Town
South Africa

Khoelife Organic Soap and Oils Co-operative combines a franchise model with a microloans system. Members of the co-operative receive training and peer-to-peer support regarding management, finance and marketing in addition to receiving start-up capital. The purpose of the enterprise is to enable women entrepreneurs to set up independently-owned businesses.

As the first cohort begins to make headway, part of their commission and loan repayments will be used to support a new set of entrepreneurs, thus eliminating the need for external funds. The traditional, labourintensive production process relies completely on renewable energy sources, thus reducing carbon emissions.

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
The enterprise empowers women to set up their own distribution businesses, in turn raising their self-esteem and ability to contribute to their family’s income. The production process relies completely on renewable energy sources, thus reducing carbon emissions.
  • Empowering women through training programmes. Khoelife Co-operative provides a capacity-building ladder whereby women begin with elementary skill-training and committed members progress further onto bigger challenges.
  • Making organic products available to poor communities at affordable prices.
  • Reducing the carbon footprint of sanitising products by replacing the use of petrochemicals with natural oils, applying traditional production techniques and using renewable energy.
  • Promoting biodiversity, sound water use and waste management through the use of organic ingredients.
  • Supporting women in setting up their own distribution businesses that contribute to their family’s income.
  • Creating additional sources of income for local and organic farmers.
  • Increasing the sales of the products of Khoelife Organic Soaps and Oils Manufacturing.

Partners

Khoelife Organic Soap and Oils Co-operative is a women’s co-operative marketing organic soaps and oils. Through training and a micro-loan scheme its members are enabled to become independent entrepreneurs. Khoelife Manufacturing, the supplier of the organic soaps and oils, uses traditional labour-intensive methods, certified organic ingredients, and renewable energy in its production processes. 

Khoelife Organic Soap and Oils Co-operative aims to empower women and build a distribution network for the products of Khoelife Organic Soaps and Oils Manufacturing.

Khoelife Organic Soaps and Oils Manufacturing supports the cooperative with seed money, administrative support and stocks of certified certified organic products.

Impilo Yabantu, a successful co-operative in the sanitation sector, advises Khoelife Cooperative on setting up co-operative and distribution networks.