About us

Our Story

ABOUT BOTANICA

Botanica Natural Products is an award-winning, family-owned social enterprise established in 2009 and located in rural Limpopo, South Africa.

Our mission is to integrate the use of indigenous plants, traditional knowledge and science to promote better skin health. We identify, produce and supply indigenous plant extracts and oils in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner for personal care applications. These extracts are marketed to cosmetic and nutraceutical producers worldwide.

Our main business activity is the cultivation of Moringa oleifera and the indigenous South African plant, Bulbine frutescens, for the production of a unique range of specialty, organically certified active ingredients and oils.

Our production facility meets European standards and the agricultural process used to produce Bulbine frutescens and Moringa oil is ECOCERT certified organic.

SEED STORY

South Africa Winner 2014

The SEED Initiative supports innovative start-up entrepreneurs around the world whose business approaches enable development of local communities and management of resources in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Botanica was recognised for its development of a method of extracting beneficial substances from Bulbine frutescens for the cosmetic industry. The plant is cultivated and processed organically in its indigenous location in rural Limpopo, and its commercial use provides employment opportunities in the marginalised area. The local community further benefits through an Access and Benefit Sharing agreement.

BOTANICA

The Social Enterprise

Botanica is proud to offer a stable source of income to 23 full-time staff in a remote rural location with over seventy percent  being the main breadwinners in their families. The broader impact ensures a steady income and higher standard of living for more than 70 local persons.

All Botanica’s employees receive on-the-job training, including first-aid and business development. All employees also receive AIDS awareness training, free access to medical care and family planning support.

We are active in our local community and engage in projects that help transform disadvantage into self-reliance and economic sustainability.

We partner with a local school as part of our Access and Benefit Sharing Agreement to ensure that the sale of our product directly benefits the students and teachers.

We also collaborate with local Eco-Schools to provide educational awareness for the next generation on how to live sustainably.

Sustainable Quality

Commitments

Botanica strives to develop products that exceed industry standards for quality and purity. We prioritise quality at all levels, for the training of our employees, as well as the cultivation, processing and storage of our plant extracts and oils.

Certifications

The agricultural process used to harvest Bulbine frutescens and produce Moringa oleifera leaf powder and Moringa oleifera seed oil is certified organic by Ecocert. Click to see more of our certifications such as Proudly South African.

We prioritise quality at all levels, for the training of our employees, as well as the cultivation, processing and storage of our plant extracts & oils.