Of course, you want to look and feel your best on your wedding day. Well the secret to bridal beauty, from amazing hair and skin, starts from the inside out. If you regularly take care of your health – from what you put into and onto your body – it will show on your wedding day.
One miracle plant that has been proven to provide that healthy “glow from within” is Moringa. It is a plant packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and luckily, we have Ify Nwobi founder of the Moringa-based company Miracle In The Green to show us how to get the most out of this miracle ingredient. Below, Ify explains the inspiration behind her company and shows how Moringa can be ingested and used topically to achieve astounding health benefits. It is even known to help reduce eczema! Read why we are obsessed with Miracle In The Green and Moringa below.
Tell us your background. What did you do before launching your company?
My story is one of resilience and tenacity. I was in my final year of law school when, as a thunderstorm erupting from a clear summer day, I received the cancer bombshell. Harsh treatments followed shortly. It weakened me and tried to rain on my parade. So, I sought alternative ways to reclaim my energy and found it in an unexpected care package from my mom who lives in Nigeria: A plant called Moringa Oleifera. I emerged from this experience with a new resolve and sense of purpose: To provide those who need it with access to the highest quality, affordable and reliable Moringa powder, now expanded to include baby and beauty skincare products. This is the Miracle In The Green story in a nutshell; founded to spread wellness to people’s lives in the same way that Moringa brought wellness to mine.
At what point did you realize you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
I never saw this entrepreneurial journey coming. My father was an entrepreneur but his path was not the path I planned to travel. I am a lawyer by education. Entrepreneurship came to me unexpectedly. When I realized how much energy I got from drinking Moringa tea nightly, I wanted to share this good news with everyone. And that’s exactly what I did. Currently, our Moringa products can be found on our websites, www.miracleinthegreen.com, www.mummysmiracle.com, Amazon US, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.
Moringa truly seems like a miracle ingredient. Explain how it has transformed your health and what it can do for others?
Women spend a ton of money looking for the fountain of youth. For me it’s Moringa. I have never looked or felt as good as I feel today being over ten years since my diagnosis. I look better than I looked in my twenties and it is all thanks to the Miracle plant. Here’s why: Moringa has an excellent nutritional profile. Its leaves are chock-full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, in the exact amount required by the millions of the hungry cells in our body. Studies suggest Moringa is the only plant on Earth with such a miraculous make-up. Little wonder it’s called the Miracle Plant. It’s also how we derived the name of our company- Miracle In The Green.
Over the past decade, there has been an increased awareness around wellness, including purchasing organic food and body care products. Why is it important for people to invest in purchasing organic/natural products, and what sets your products apart from other offerings?
The world is going natural. When I started in 2010, I never met anyone who had heard of the Moringa plant. Toxic-free skincare was not popular either. Today, it is a different story. The current climate is such that people especially millennials are living healthy lives as naturally as possible. Studies suggest that living healthy is a surefire way to lower the risk of certain cancers and help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and helps maintain a healthy weight. We should all follow the lead of the younger generation.
Miracle In The Green products are made with carefully sourced naturally-derived ingredients. Our brand of Moringa, also called Oringaa (short for Original Moringa), is meticulously picked to produce the highest quality of organic Moringa powder. Also, our baby (called Mummy’s Miracle) and skincare products are a proprietary blend of Moringa, Aloe Vera, Honey and plant oils. We are black woman-owned and WBENC certified. Lastly, the woman behind the brand is a mother of four and uses all of these products daily in her home and on her kids. Another reason our products are different is for every sale, you help a woman in need as part of sale proceeds go to empower women.
Can you share your health and wellness routine? What is a typical day for you as a woman and a mother using your Miracle in the Green and Mummy’s Miracle products? Do you have a favorite product from your line?
Nothing gets my day started more than getting my blood pumping. I love to go for a quick run first, followed by me cleansing my face with our Miracle In The Green’s Purifying Moringa Face Cleanser. It smells of blood orange and grapefruit. I love it so much, I bathe with it. Other ingredients in the Face Cleanser include potent oil from the seeds of the Moringa tree which moisturizes, reduces fines lines and brightens my skin, and makes it glow. It’s the best part of my morning routine. I wrap it up by lathering my body with our Miracle In The Green Moringa Peppermint Body Butter. The menthol component of peppermint causes muscles to relax, releasing tension and anxiety. I am usually sipping on a warm cup of Moringa Leaf tea with lemon at this point. The vitamins and minerals loaded in Moringa combine to give me the energy I need to face the day.
As mothers, our bodies are transforming and we can have a plethora of concerns from stretch marks to acne, not to mention concerns for our baby’s health (eczema, cradle cap etc.). What are some of the major concerns mothers have shared with you and how have your Mummy’s Miracle products been able to address those concerns?
Our wellness products work from the inside out while our skincare products work from the outside in. And they work. We have a plethora of testimonials that can be found on our websites as well as on Shopify and Amazon. Our customers notice a dramatic change in the appearance of their skin after a few days on these products because they are natural with no toxins. Drinking Oringaa daily gives the skin a natural glow and our beauty products keep the skin moisturized which helps prevent stretch marks and acne.
Our baby products are also amazing. During the pandemic, we experienced a supply chain issue because manufacturing plants were not considered essential businesses and had to observe lockdown orders. Subsequently, we were short on inventory resulting in numerous letters from customers in London, Germany, here in the US, and other places demanding to know when the products will be back in stock. One customer stated it was a matter of life and death. Our customers are that loyal because our products work.
What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along your entrepreneurial journey?
Women-led companies are on the rise, but they still attract only 2% of all venture funding in the U.S., and a good chunk of that 2% is allocated to women-run tech companies which leaves the rest of us scrambling. As a femme-preneur, this challenge was at the forefront of my entrepreneurial grind. While business communities are a good place to network and brainstorm issues, you are generally on your own when it comes to funding matters. I quickly learned that women-owned businesses are not treated the same as men-operated companies. Also, like the double whammy that it is, black women-owned businesses are lower in the recognition hierarchy than their white counterparts. It means you have to be prepared to work harder to get the same level of recognition. Thankfully, the Black Lives Matter movement is proving to change that but we still have a long way to go.
What advice can you give to any mother/woman looking to start a business or currently running a business?
I had to rely on my God-given instincts to survive what can be a lonely road to success in business. It can be difficult for young female entrepreneurs to start and grow a business because they are not taken seriously when it comes to funding, or their perspective is disregarded. But trust me, know that you have what it takes. Never, ever, give up. Believe in your why. Allow the itch which led you to start your business to guide you. The road to success especially for black women is long and winding, so brace yourself. Believe in yourself. Keep learning. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and run from those who discourage you. Do not be afraid to fail. Embrace failure and value adversity. Celebrate the small wins, have the courage to keep going when all else suggests otherwise. Stay resilient and keep the faith.
What is the next chapter for your business?
Launching in brick and mortar stores was the next chapter but we began to re-assess that move in the wake of the pandemic. The way small businesses interact with their customers has morphed. This has made us re-think and re-shape how our company moves forward. We noticed an increase in sales in both our Shopify and Amazon stores during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown orders which saw an increase in online shopping. A recent study from McKinsey indicates that consumers are likely to continue with this ‘adopted’ behavior.’ We have then focused our efforts on creating new products and launching them on the eCommerce based marketplaces of which we are already a part of. It was almost as if we were well aligned with the impact of the Covid-19.
What impact do you hope your company will have on the women and African American children in particular?
We stand for the African Proverb which states, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” Miracle In The Green has stayed true to its mission: To empower women through entrepreneurship, and education and pave the way for a healthier, happier future. Part of the proceeds from our sale go towards this mission. From providing food for the most vulnerable in the COVID-19 pandemic, giving business grants to women, to supplying front-line workers with Mother’s Day treats, Miracle In The Green empowers, uplifts, and creates opportunities for communities globally.”
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