Our Story
Who we are
MGL Naturals by Mansuki Ghana Limited started in September 2009 during the high rate of employment in Ghana, West Africa when the founder Israella Kafui Mansu at the age of 23 and could not find a job after graduating from the University of Ghana.
She proceeded to create employment for herself with her savings of US$80 and started production from her one-room apartment kitchen. She later offered casual employment to two less privileged youths and work directly with a small rural women cooperation of 31 members to produce unrefined African Shea Butter for her production.
The business was later registered in September 2010 when she could now afford to pay for the company registration fees.
Our sustainable jobs creation, providing residential accommodation for our youth employees, women in the rural communities and craftsmen continues to provide an improved livelihood for beneficiaries and their families, impacting communities and keeping MGL Naturals in business over the past 13 years even in very harsh business and economic environments.
Today,
we have 30 youth employees and we provide them with free residential accommodation,
and working with 8000 women shea nut pickers, 2000 women shea butter processors
and about 3000 women shea butter processors waiting to join our team, so we need your help to make this a reality.
We have been limited to our local market sales for 13 years, it is time to implement our big dream of direct export, the time has come and the time is now. Become a part of us and share in our success story.
Our sustainable jobs for the youths - Our Finished Products Team
Founder
Hello Everyone,
My name is Israella Kafui Mansu and I am the founder of MGL Naturals, Mansuki Ghana Limited in Ghana, West Africa. I am super excited to share my story with you. Almost 14 years ago after graduating from the University of Ghana where I studied Psychology and Consumer Science and completed my one-year national service as a Junior High School teacher, I could not find a job due to the high rate of unemployment. I was independent in a one-room apartment, running out of cash for my upkeep, and had bills to pay.
Growing up, I had always wanted to own a food processing company in the future because from the age of 9, I helped my mother and others make snacks that I sold in our local market. I love creating recipes and organizing. I knew that I could only afford a start up capital if only I could work for someone and save money but getting a call back from a few interviews never came through. Was it because I said that I wanted to have my own manufacturing company in 5 year's time when asked? Reality started setting in and I had only a savings of about US$80 which I made from retail sales back in the university. I had to quickly rescue myself or return to join my mother in the village.
I knew that going back home would silently break her heart because it was her wish and expectation to see me employed in the city of Accra after my university education and she was about to retire from a school matron job to come live with me in the city. I took a very bold decision to risk the use of my only savings, my US$80, to buy natural cosmetics ingredients and packaging materials. I felt more connected using natural ingredients because they were close to food and I could easily apply my recipe and formulation skills, the product will have more shelf life than food in case I am not able to sell them immediately so the success rate was looking better to protect my US$80 investment. Personally, why natural skin and hair care formulation? I have had very sensitive skin and scalp since childhood and have always used shea butter. Raw Shea butter, raw cocoa butter, and raw African black soap have been the best for our skin. Again, natural skin and hair care products because I could easily teach myself by researching, developing ingredient lists, preparation methods, multiple prototyping, packaging, and marketing. These are skills I started developing from my entrepreneurial childhood to the study of Home Science, Foods, and Nutrition in Senior High School.
Anfoega Secondary School, Volta Region, Ghana. 2002
Above all, my major inspirations to start and sustain MGL Naturals over the years is to be able to create sustainable jobs for less privileged youths, rural women and craftsmen. To mass produce natural skin and hair care products, 90% of our ingredients are locally grown safe, and healthy ingredients
Our unrefined African Shea Butter
Our raw Cocoa Butter
and to help stop the use of harmful chemicalized beauty products that are being imported into Africa.
Top picture - When HRH Princess Anne visited my start-up MGL Naturals production facility in 2017, Accra, Ghana.
Down picture: Myself and other inspiring women honored in Cape Town, South Africa by Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network. 2013
When HRH Prince Charles visited Ghana in 2018. I was honored to showcase our products to him as a young female entrepreneur with made in Ghana products.
HRH Prince Charles, The British High Commissioner to Ghana and Israella. 2018
