For centuries, the marula tree and its fruit have fed families in northern Namibia and some parts of Africa. Usually harvested in small quantities for subsistence consumption, the marula fruit has since evolved to offer a variety of products for busness. Appart from the juice, (omagongo) there is oil (ondjove), and animal fodder made from the kernel left over after extracting boil.
Lately, a variety of other new oil products have entered the market.
Employment
Thousands of Namibians remain without work; however, a family-owned marula oil business is helping about 430 women in the Ohangwena region earn an income by buying marula kernels collected from their villages. The 2023 Population and Housing Census
recorded an unemployment rate of 36.9%, with women and young people among those most affected. In many rural communities where formal jobs are limited, seasonal income from natural resources has become an important way for families to make ends meet. Pure Marula is the leading company that saw a nitche for business with the indigenous tree which fed generations for centuries in northern Namibia. They now operate from the Incubation Centre in Windhoek where they make magical products from marula.
Sourcing
For the women supplying marula kernels to Pure Marula, the money has helped pay school and university expenses, buy food and meet other household needs. Pure Marula, trading under Talatine Investment, has spent the last 11 years buying marula kernels from women before processing it into cosmetic and food-grade marula oil sold in Namibia and overseas.
Co-founder Namupa Nengolo said the business started after her family saw an opportunity in the marula fruits from across northern Namibia.
“We wanted to use something our communities already have. We started small, invested in what we had and built the business step by step,” she said.
The process
Women first collect the marula fruits, remove the juice and dry the seeds before cracking them open by hand to remove the kernels. The company buys the kernels directly from the women and processes them using modern equipment to produce marula oil while allowing communities to continue using the traditional methods they have followed for generations.
The final product is sold as face, body and hair oil and is also supplied in bulk to companies that use it in cosmetic and food products. Locally, the products are sold through retail outlets, the Green Market, duty-free shops and online, while exports reach markets in Europe, the United States, South Africa and Ghana.
Impacting lives
Nengola said the business worked with about 100 women when it first started buying kernels but has now expanded to around 430 suppliers.
She said the company works directly with the women instead of buying through middlemen, so they receive payment immediately.
“When we visit the villages, women tell us how this income has changed their lives. Some say they use the money to pay accommodation for children studying at university, while others have rebuilt homes after fires. Those stories remind us why we must keep going,” she said.
The company buys kernels during the marula harvesting season, which lasts for about eight months each year. Its next goal is to increase the number of women supplying kernels to about 1 000 by expanding into other northern regions where marula trees grow naturally. Despite the growth, Nengola said the business still faces several challenges.
International market and challenges
Finding reliable international buyers remains expensive, while maintaining the organic certification needed to export to Europe and the United States costs more than N$100 000 each year. The company also needs enough working capital to buy kernels because women are paid as soon as they deliver their produce.
“We made a commitment that when we buy from the women, they get paid straight away. That means we must always have enough money available when we go into the villages,” she said.
The company is also exploring new products made from marula seed cake, which remains after the oil has been extracted.
She added that the seed cake is rich in protein, iron and zinc, and the business is discussing opportunities to use it in food products instead of treating it as waste. Nengola said it is neccessary for the business to continue growing because more families are depending on the income earned from marula kernels. “We know there are many people depending on this business. That is why we continue looking for new markets and new opportunities so that we can buy from even more women,” she said.
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