Cosmetics Design recently spoke to Edwin Chamorro, who is the founder of Inzunai, which in just a few short years has built a name for itself as the leading supplier of cosmetics ingredients from this region, while also building the company name into a cosmetics brand.
In this interview we wanted to find out more about how the company has evolved, what have been the driving forces in its evolution, what kind of support the business has had and what the future might hold.
What have been the main driving forces to make your business successful?
We have been working with the Colombian trade body Pro Colombia since 2009, which enabled us to make a comprehensive and measured plan for the business and saw it established in 2014. Pro Colombia has been helped us a lot. It has been a great partner and really helped us to become the business we are today. Mostly in trying to build up the exportation of ingredients, but lately it has also helped up in trying to build up the finished goods side of the business, too. Also, with the help of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Inzunai has been able to exhibit at the in-cosmetics Global events, which has played a significant part in promoting the development of our ingredients business.
We have also been working hard to develop the processing of our raw materials, particularly with a view to enhancing the ingredient quality, ultimately to make the products more effective. This is particularly desirable to the foreign customers we are targeting and has helped us to expand the business internationally.
What does the product portfolio look like for both ingredients and finished products?
We have been working hard to develop our ingredients portfolio, targeting businesses throughout Latin America, and latterly in North America. Most recently we have been getting closer to exporting ingredients to Europe and we hope to eventually develop that as a major market for us.
Our ingredients portfolio currently consists of five main products, with one further one that is currently be developed for launch. Currently the ingredients line up includes Copaiba Oil, Sacha Inchi Oil, Seje Oil, Copoazu Butter and Andiroba Oil. And on the brands side we have a range six products that includes oils and body lotions all made from our ingredients. The line up is highlighted by our Copazu Butter, Cocoa Licor, Cacay Oil and Sacha Inchi Oil.
Are all the ingredients and the formulations for the finished products sourced from the Colombian Amazon?
Yes, everything is sourced in the Colombian Amazon. We want our company to be recognized as the main player in this region, supporting and promoting the botanical ingredients that are sourced in this unique and ecologically diverse environment.
How are the ingredients sourced and how are they then manufactured as finished products?
We are working closely with a small number of local farming communities, as well as government programs. The farmers harvest, dry and prepare the crops, which are then shipped to the processing facilities for extraction and further processing, before being packaging, ready to be shipped. After this, the ingredients are then used as part of the finished products, which are processed and developed by two different labs in Bogota, that are contract manufacturers.
Beyond launching new ingredients, what are the plans for the future?
Our plans are to keep promoting ingredients and finished products that come from the Colombian Amazon. And in particular we really want to develop our line of finished cosmetic products, specifically body lotions. Additionally, we also want to expand our range of butters, and build a name for the business in this area.
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