Katy Leakey Interview (Part Three)

Katy Leakey Interview (Part Three)

by Eleanor

The third part of the Interview with Katy Leakey, founder of the Leakey Collection, explores the newest and very popular addition to the Collection: Marula Oil.

While most of The Leakey Collection’s products are jewelry pieces made out of Zulugrass or Zuluwood, in 2012 they added Marula Oil to their lineup. Billed as “the ideal moisturizer” Marula Oil has gained popularity throughout the US, being featured in media from the New York Times to Vogue. During our interview, I was able to ask Katy about the process of creating Marula Oil and its ongoing success in the US Market.

The process of bringing Marula Oil to The Leakey Collection began about five years ago, when Katy’s husband, Leakey Collection co-founder, and botanical expert Philip Leakey began exploring Marula Oil’s potential. Because of Philip’s botanical background he “has worked with many plants

over the years and [...] knew about Marula Oil.” Once the Leakeys decided to move forward with the Marula oil, it “took about three and half to four years to develop it.” The Leakeys had to set up the structures and methods to harvest the nuts that produce the oil from the wild.

The entire operation is incredibly eco-friendly, as evidenced by Katy’s description of the harvesting policies: “All of the nuts are gathered from under trees; they’ve already fallen [and] animals and people have already eaten the fruit. Everybody has done everything they want with [them]--these are just the waste nuts.” The nuts are gathered by Maasai women, who then sell them to the Leakey Collection, at “the same price as fair trade coffee.” Next the nuts are individually cut open by hand, in a process called decorticating, and the kernels are picked out. Only the fresh kernels can be used to make Marula Oil, so about 15 percent of the kernels are discarded. In the last step before being shipped to America, the nuts are put through a custom cold press filtration system, which the Leakeys had to design and build themselves. Once the nuts, now an oil, reach the US a “light, fresh fragrance” is added.

http://shoppingforachange.org/Marula_Oil.php

In the past year and a half, Marula Oil has earned a plethora of media attention and has become immensely popular in the beauty community and beyond. When I asked Katy what she attributes to Marula Oil’s success, she responded without a pause, “It’s efficacy.” Marula Oil is extremely versatile and its uses date back more than a century: “The women of South Africa have used it traditionally for healing burns and scars for about 150 years or so.” According to Katy it is “absolutely amazing” at this as she cited her own need for Marula Oil: “I fell and got a scrape on my lip, and I normally scar very badly, I would have had this mark for three weeks, [but with Marula Oil] it was gone within a week. And I mean completely gone, no trace.” In addition to its healing properties, Marula Oil is also high in antioxidants and omega six and nine which allow it to be absorbed deeply into the skin and to be classified as a “medical grade hydrator.”

The rapid growth of Marula Oil has caused Katy to have to spend less time in Kenya and more in the US. While the Leakeys “normally [...] spend one to two months a year in the States for trade shows and business” they have had to remain in the US for more time in order to keep up with Marula Oil’s growth. Katy hopes to be able to return to her normal schedule and spend most of the year in Kenya in near future.

When asked why The Leakey Collection decided to make the move into skincare, which certainly took a considerable amount of time and resources, Katy discussed the benefits of a consumable product, something a customer will need to use repeatedly, “with a consumable we see the possibility of expanding work opportunity to tens of thousands of women, not just a few thousand women.” With Marula Oil the Leakeys would like to “expand work opportunity out throughout East Africa. We are well down into Tanzania now with it and we’d like to keep expanding.” As the Marula nut is available throughout Sub Saharan Africa and Marula Oil is rapidly expanding in popularity, Katy’s goals seem to be within reach.

As Katy said,“It’s just fabulous--you have to try it!” If you want to try Marula Oil for yourself, click here.

Up Next: The final installment of our interview with Katy, discussing fair trade and The Leakey Collection’s goals for the future.

Hi! I’m Eleanor and I am a rising high school junior. I have two cats, I love drinking tea, and I’m obsessed with all the jewelry on Shopping for a Change (too bad I can’t afford it all). Interning with Shopping for a Change is an amazing experience filled with inspiring stories, great opportunities, and lots and lots of cheese provided by the founder Stacey. Cheers!