Jellie's Natural Products

Jellie Dasmariňas started making soap at her home last September 2013 after she learned soap making from a friend. She was making an average of 60-100 bars of soap every month and sold them at her store located along the highway of Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. Her market is just her neighborhood and some motorists who occasionally stop at her store to buy fresh goat’s milk .

A very enterprising woman, Jellie has penchant for home-based livelihood activities. Before she started with her soap making, she was making akapulco anti-fungal ointment. She also developed vinegar extracted from honey and recently, she started making and selling hot chili powder.

Sometime in early 2014, Leila Rispens-Noel, founder of WIMLER Foundation Philippines dropped by her store to buy wild honey. Leila saw her soap and bought several bars which she gave as presents to her friends. WIMLER Foundation is a non-governmental organization based in Bansalan, Davao del Sur which provides assistance to poor but deserving pupils in the Philippines. It also helps enterprising women to in making their small enterprise economically viable. 

Last June 2015, Leila heard from a friend that she received a soap from her other friend and she liked it very much. She wanted to order 100 pieces. Thinking that it was just a one-off order, Leila went back to Jellie’s store only to find out that she did not have enough stocks.  In order that Jellie could meet the orders, Leila advanced her some money so she can supply 100 bars. The first order was met. Then Leila, posted on her Facebook that she was able to send 100 pieces of soap to her friend. 

Unexpectedly, Leila received more orders maybe because the soap is made of fresh goat’s milk mixed either with wild honey or moringa extract. The soap is more superior to the soap being sold in the supermarket which contains many chemicals and preservatives. Leila received inquiries from all over the country and also from other countries. Jellie continues making soap but the fulfillment of the orders is slow due to the 30-days required curing process called saponification. 

Leila realized that it can make a difference if WIMLER can support Jellie by helping her promote and sell her products. There is a need to maintain adequate stock so Leila added more capital. Now Jellie Natural Products is busy meeting the orders. It also needs to expand its market so that it will become more viable. Jellie’s Natural Products is poised for scaling up.

The whole family is involved
Like other microentrepreneurs, Jellie's whole family is involved in soap making: from preparation, labeling and packaging. 






Other Products
Jellie is a very creative. She does not only make soap but also sells raw honey, chili, and she is thinking to develop more products in the future.











                                                                                             

                                                    Future Plans

By January 2016, Jellie hopes to start the production at Wimler's Multipurpose building. In this way, she will have more space. We will also work hard so she can secure licence to operate from Food and Drug Authority (FDA). It is a daunting task though.

Hopefully as the soap business flourishes, we can involve more women in the production and marketing. In doing so, we can help in the livelihood of unemployed women in Bansalan.

Social Enterprise

Linking local producers with the market is crucial in making home-based small enterprises sustainable. WIMLER Philippines finally decided to help Jellie’s Natural Products in marketing its homemade soap. As the orders increase, Jellie can ask more women in the village to help in the soap making so the product will remain handmade, artisanal, and maintain its natural freshness. If the business flourishes, more jobs will be created in the village.