The Barshi siblings are building a beauty brand to end deforestation and ensure that Moringa trees cultivated in the DR are grown and cared for in a way that regenerates the soil. They believe that passion and purpose are the best motivation for entrepreneurs and that pure holistic skin care from the Caribbean can be truly helpful both to people and to the planet.
Name: Ben-Yam Barshi & Elah Barshi, Co-Founders
Indie Beauty Company: Moringaia
Launched: February 2021
Headquarters: Cabarete, Dominican Republic
Cash flow: Moringaia is self-funded and 100% family owned. Our financial goals and KPIs are always measured by how many trees we have planted.
Indie how? To us, an independent brand is creative and mindful with bringing its vision to life. It is about serving a greater purpose and making consciousness of how products engage the entire supply chain - from where ingredients are grown to how they are processed and how they are being used - part of the brand’s DNA.
Teamwork: 5 full-time employees, 2 part-time
Distribution: Moringaia is available on moringaia.com, discovertald.com, on Etsy, and at wellness spas and boutique brick-and-mortar stores.
Years in beauty: Ben-Yam has been in the industry for over 7 years. Elah has been in the space for 2 years.
Entrepreneurial experience: Ben-Yam is an agroforester and a permaculture expert with vast experience launching and running businesses in the environmental space. He’s ventured out into aquaponics, and co-founded Aqualibrium, a closed-loop home gardening system for indoor food production. His entrepreneurship is always mission-driven, and he is also committed to giving back by donating his time and expertise to NGOs. Currently, he mentors a community garden at Cabarete Sostenible, a coalition of NGOS tackling the COVID-19 crisis in Cabarete, Dominican Republic.
Elah’s experience in writing, marketing, design, and consumer-focused goods all come together in the building of Moringaia.
The business: Moringaia is a truly natural skincare and wellness brand providing purity and performance. Moringaia is a moringa-based line [of skin care, body care, and hair care] sustainably made in the heart of the Caribbean.
The wow-factor: Moringaia is a mission that started a brand (not a skincare brand that decided to ‘attach’ a cause to add brand-value).
Our core mission is to end deforestation by planting more trees and regenerate the soil we live on. Making nourishing and truly natural skincare is the means that allows us to fulfill this vision.
We also manufacture all of our products ourselves and know the ground our Moringa (main ingredient) comes from.
The consumer: Our target consumer is conscious and curious about what ingredients they put on their skin as well as where they come from. They are looking for results and approach beauty in a holistic manner: including diet and lifestyle. Our target also includes those who are looking to ‘escape’ to the Caribbean through self-care and Moringaia rituals.
Advice for fellow beauty entrepreneurs: Stay true to your values and be authentic. It’s much easier to create and keep pushing through when you believe in the greater purpose and impact of what you’re building.
Just one: Asked about their go-to product, the Barshi siblings say that If we were stuck on a desert island, we would definitely carry Moringaia Salvation Balm. It’s our multi-purpose go-to.
