When Vanessa was barely 17 years old, her mother was diagnosed with diabetes. Vanessa had already lost her grandparents to diabetes and she was not ready to lose her mother.
She decided to look for natural, inexpensive treatments to fight the disease and keep her mother healthy. During this search, she discovered the Moringa tree popular for its medicinal benefits and ability to treat various types of diabetes.
After doing a bit of research, Vanessa discovered that she could process the leaf and turn it to tea for easy consumption and since her mother needed the treatment she went for it.
“Studies show that drinking Moringa tea after a meal can ease digestion, and after two hours of intake, sugar levels in the body drop.”
Vanessa met with Moringa farmers and tested the process, she realized that the tea was quite tasty and other people in her community could benefit from it.
She knew that members of her community couldn’t afford the diabetes treatment and most of the food items that were cheap were high on sugar. It was at this point that she decided to launch her company, Emerald Moringa Tea, to supply consumers in Molyko, a town in the Buea region.
Today Vanessa’s company employs nine people and she is looking to further expand the brand. When it comes to her advice to young people seeking to go into entrepreneurship, Vanessa is quite blunt;
“Don’t just sit there and wait for a miraculous moment to make things happen. Just take the first step. You might fail, but each time you fail you learn that you haven’t done the right thing in the right way. Failing is part of the learning process… I actually say that not everybody who fails is a failure. If you fail and you rise, you are learning.”
Well done Vanessa, you are an inspiration to many.
