Initially, cousins Nevlette Steele and Amanda Walcott wanted to start a business selling products for natural hair and while they still hope to get there one day, they have since established Queen Qarah, a skincare business through which they market their own soaps and a few other products purchased from small businesses.
Located on the Corentyne in Berbice, Queen Qarah, which was founded less than a year ago, is a perfect example of the times in which we live. Walcott, who lives abroad and is a full-time student at the University of Connecticut pursuing studies in Biological Sciences, makes the two types of soap the business has on offer. Steele is employed at the Supreme Court and is a student at the University of Guyana.
Steele shared that she had wanted to get the business underway two years prior to it being established on December 29, 2020 but all did not go as planned. Together she and Walcott agreed on the name and she noted that ‘Qarah’, which is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, means ‘grant me success’.
She shared that product creation is underway and before the year ends they hope to be able to offer their own face mask, and subsequently, a face scrub and vitamin C serum. Steele explained that because she did not know of any businesses selling soap made from natural products in Berbice, she and Walcott thought it wise to run with that product first.
Walcott uses her semester breaks and her time off to make a turmeric soap and a ginger soap which is also mixed with a small amount of turmeric. Packaging and labelling the soaps are tasks they both share.
The company also sells a vitamin C serum and exfoliating gloves sourced from small businesses in the US. Queen Qarah also had available clay masks which were sourced elsewhere. These are currently out of stock and will not be restocked as Queen Qarah is developing its own face masks, which both young women are working on.
Steele said that both soaps help with the fading of hyperpigmentation and dark spots, retain moisture, brighten complexion, remove impurities and get rid of minor acne. For severe acne, she recommends that persons see a dermatologist. Both soaps contain other major ingredients like shea butter, kojic acid which lightens visible sun damage and age spots, and vegetable glycerin. Their soaps carry a weight of 100 grammes.
According to Steele, customers have said that they love the smell of the soaps. While women make up a large percentage of their clientele, men are also using the soaps. About 25% of all their clients are repeat customers. “One customer said, ‘Hey I just tried your turmeric soap. I like how it smells and my skin feels soft and fresh’. Another client shared that her husband loves the scent of the soap,” recalled Steele. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur added that recently someone asked whether the products are for all ethnicities. She shared that indeed their products cater for everyone. They also have young customers as a mother purchased their exfoliating gloves for her six-year-old child. A ten-year-old is also using the exfoliating gloves, which her mother bought for her. It would seem that women are introducing the products to their husbands and children. No matter how they find them, Steele and Walcott are happy to provide their products to satisfied customers.
Most customers purchase the soap to use on their faces and that way it is estimated to last as long as a month. For those who bathe with it, the soap is expected to last two weeks, sometimes three weeks at best.
With no shop front, Queen Qarah is mainly an online business that provides delivery/pick-up services. At present, the women are trying to connect with shopkeepers in the various administrative regions to rent shelf space so that their items could be readily available to customers. While most of their clients are from Berbice and Georgetown, there are prospective clients living in Linden and on the Essequibo Coast who have reached out enquiring about purchasing the soaps and other products.
Their soaps are sold for $1,600, the vitamin C serum for $3,200 and the exfoliating gloves at $500. Delivery in Georgetown, for which they use cars working the Berbice/Georgetown route, attracts an additional fee of $1,000, which Steele pointed out does not benefit the business but pays the drivers. Steele added that sometimes she makes the delivery but in cases where she does, the delivery cost increases.
Steele explained that one of the reasons they are looking to have their products on the shelves of businesses in the city is due to a bad experience where she travelled all the way to Georgetown to make a delivery but when she got to the city, the customer stopped taking her calls and she was unable to sell that product.
Additionally, they are looking to have MMG set up so customers can make their payments in advance. Owing to all of their products being readily available, customers do not have to worry about a long waiting time for an order. Sometimes there are as many as four deliveries to Georgetown per week.
While she and Walcott are not making any sort of income just yet, Steele shared that at the very best, Queen Qarah is not making any losses. At this point in time all the money that comes in is ploughed back into the business.
“In another five years, I would like to see Queen Qarah become a household name and a trusted brand,” Steele affirmed.
The business can be followed on Facebook and Instagram @Queen Qarah or reached at 656-7634.
