After I first heard of Juka’s Natural, I wasn’t positive what it was. I used to be like “which one is Juka once more?” However, I gave them the viewers and I’ve to let you know it was one of the crucial nice viewers I had ever granted. Juka’s Natural is an organization that sells African merchandise and certainly one of my favourite issues, the African natural Palm oil.
Receiving the palm oil within the mail, the field smelled like candy plantain chips. On opening it, it was a field of palm oil, coconut oil and palm oil sauce. Though the oils smelled so candy on opening them, I didn’t rush to style them as I wished to take my time to relish in every bottle.
Tasting
The primary of the oils I attempted was the palm oil sauce. It was not salty and it tasted freshly made. I had it with some boiled white yam and a few corned beef sauce. It was so good I needed to begin including it in the whole lot we ate. Even with beans and African bread it was tickety boo!
The coconut oil wasn’t any totally different. It tasted coconutty and healthful. I used it for my oil pulling and I made some noodle stir fry. Freshness assured!
My favourite was the Purple Palm oil. Juka’s Natural palm oil is the reality! The entire reality and nothing much less. I’m a cook dinner/chef and I’m somebody who cooks for folks so I exploit a variety of palm oil in my soups and sauces. I do know individuals who don’t like palm oil. They might eat something however palm oil till Dr. Oz and even Oprah endorsed it as a superfood.
I believe as Africans, we don’t perceive the worth and wholeness of our meals. And I digress.
In my first try utilizing Juka’s Natural pink palm oil, I made some yam pottage with it. The oil smelled candy and the colour was essentially the most sensible shade of pink I had ever seen. The yam pottage tasted in a different way from the others I had ever made. The style was deliciously inexplicable. Candy spot confirmed! I assumed I used to be having fun with palm oil till I tasted Juka’s Natural palm oil. Now I conceal my Juka’s oils in my pantry make story no enter abeg.
The Interview
After tasting these oils, I knew I needed to speak to Juka and never solely is she a lovely human being, however her story is one each girl has to hearken to.
Nlc: Who and what’s Juka?
Juka: “My identify is Juka and I’m from Gambia. I’m an entrepreneur and a former activist however as soon as an activist, at all times an activist”
Nlc: You mentioned you’re an activist. What space of activism do you may have a ardour for?
Juka: “I’m an activist towards injustice, I used to be a part of a motion that introduced an finish to 22 years of dictatorship within the Gambia”
Nlc: Are your dad and mom Gambians?
Juka: “Sure however they each lived in Sierra Leone, my father was a businessman. They later moved again to Gambia and my father had a really profitable enterprise as the only real importer of Sunoco motor oil. With no formal training, my dad began that enterprise and did very effectively by opening franchise shops throughout the nation. My mother additionally had a poultry and few different enterprise and did effectively for herself”
Nlc: What number of siblings do you may have?
Juka: “It was 9 of us and with my brother’s passing, we at the moment are 8.”
Nlc: What made you begin Juka’s Natural?
Juka: “At a younger age, I moved from New York to California and I opened an African retailer in Inglewood. After few years of working the shop, I made a decision to shut it and liquidate the whole lot and ended up with solely two thousand {dollars}. I invested and misplaced quite a bit in that retailer however even with that loss I knew I needed to do extra with our pink palm oil as a result of a variety of the palm oil that was bought throughout the nation weren’t that genuine. However I nonetheless needed to shut my retailer. After closing the shop, that was after I determined to go to the villages in Africa to get the true factor and work significantly with girls farmers. Dr. Oz had additionally endorsed pink palm oil as a brilliant meals, I began promoting extra of it to non-Africans as effectively; then I made a decision so as to add extra pure, wholesome meals and sweetness merchandise from African villages to our catalog”
Nlc: what states and shops can we discover your merchandise?
Juka: “Texas, New York (Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, New Jersey), Arizona, Las Vegas, California (Los Angeles & San Diego), Canada, Singapore or they’ll get it from Walmart.com or Amazon.com You can even go to us on our web site for accomplice retailer places www.jukasorganic.com Or on all social media platforms with the deal with, Juka’s Natural Co.
Nlc: Are all of your oils in glass bottles?
Juka: “We’ve got each glass jars and excessive grade plastic bottles that are BPA free and are simpler to move. However a variety of our clients are very well being aware they usually just like the glass containers therefore we nonetheless have the glass jars for many who choose them.”
Nlc: what did you examine in college?
Juka: “Accounting and enterprise. I additionally labored as a mannequin with Wilhelmina fashions in NYC for 3 years and went again to California. I used to be very fortunate I have to say, as a mannequin and TV business actress, I did round 20 nationwide commercials. My first nationwide was booked with Virgin cell in NYC and after that it simply took off. I did American Specific, T-Cellular, MasterCard, Dell, Saab automotive commercials, Axe deodorant AT&T and so many extra that I nonetheless can’t imagine it after I look again.
Nlc: Are you continue to within the business?
Juka: “No. I don’t have the time to remain within the business at this second as I’ve to concentrate on rising Juka’s Natural Co. I bear in mind I needed to at all times put a enroll my retailer to let clients know I used to be coming again so I may go to my auditions. I used to be very connected to the shop, it was my child and shutting it was one of many hardest issues I needed to do. I labored so exhausting, with getting all my permits and all of the investments however I imagine closing it was a blessing in disguise. It definitely opened a brand new door.
Nlc: The place do you see your self sooner or later?
Juka: “I see myself working with extra nations in Africa. I wish to see an growth into extra states and extra shops in the usA. Africa is without doubt one of the greatest continent on this planet but our meals will not be seen by many. My objective is to carry Africa to mainstream by means of our wholesome meals and sweetness merchandise.
Nlc: Is there something you’d need folks to learn about you?
Juka: “I’m a fighter, I don’t surrender simply. I need to encourage each younger thoughts particularly ladies. I would like each younger lady to know that they are often the perfect in no matter they need to be so long as they’re keen to work exhausting, sensible and with nice intentions behind their concepts”
