In 2017, when she gave birth to her third son, little did Tazmein Coates-Crawford know that the coconut oil she used as a moisturizer for his hair and skin would become the inspiration needed to open her own coconut-based line.
Crawford, currently a client of the Small Business Bureau, was provided a grant by the bureau for her business start-up. Lionel’s Extra Virgin Scented Coconut Oil, as the product brand is called, is named after Tazmein’s youngest son, Lionel. The brand includes five lines: (1) the Extra virgin coconut oil, (2) Coconut oil body scrubs, (3) Coconut oil hair foods/Vaseline made from the oil and shea butter, (4) Coconut oil lip balm with a fusion of petroleum jelly and beeswax, and (5) the Coconut oil hand sanitizer. The products are available in five fragrances: Sassy Taz, Ms. Irresistible, Mr. Ambitious, Baby Powder and Original. Except for the fragrances, every component used is organic which also includes other ingredients such as neem and turmeric.
“I have three sons. The first two I used olive oil on their skin but when I got my last son, I decided to try the coconut oil on him and was more satisfied as a mother with the results I received from using the coconut oil. I kept on using the coconut oil and that’s when I decided that I could make to sell”, the entrepreneur said. She noted that after a while customers asked whether she could make the extra virgin coconut oil instead of the conventional kind.
She explained that the conventional coconut oil is made over the fire while the extra virgin oil, which is known for its crystal clear look, is first grated then left in the sun for twenty-four hours or more depending on the kind of coconut. The grated coconut is left in a container which after being left to dry is separated in four layers (a) dust at the bottom, (b) water above, (c) oil, and, (d) then a layer of crust. The oil is also referred to as cold-pressed coconut oil. Following the oil, Tazmein arrived at a scrub. She added sugar to the oil to make her own blend and loved the way her skin felt after. Since then, the making of the scrub has advanced. She experimented by doing a number of do-it-yourself (DIY) projects in the modelling of the products. According to businesswoman, she has come to learn that making a product goes way beyond the “know how”. It is important, she explained, that a product has the right pH balance, further adding that if a product is not made the right way and the pH balance is not as required, it is possible that the product will not last long or fungi will begin to grow. As such, she takes care to see that each product has the required anti-bacterial properties which will allow her products to have a shelf life of two years or more. Once her business got underway, Crawford provided several supermarkets with her products. However, owing to the pandemic, she had stopped but has plans resume again. Lionel’s Extra Virgin Scented Coconut Oil products are however, still available at The Guyana Supermarket at Robb and Alexander streets.
Tazmein shared that at the beginning of the pandemic, she often overheard family and friends complaining about the hand sanitizers making their hands really dry. She arrived at the idea to blend the oil with the sanitizer. Asked how effective the sanitizers would be with this added ingredient, Crawford disclosed that she had spoken with a pharmacist and several doctors when she first made the blend for herself and children and was told that since the coconut oil and fragrance have zero percent alcohol, it could not affect the sanitizer in any way. Despite learning this, she went on ahead and still added more alcohol to her new blend of sanitizers just to be on the safe side. The woman related that not only do her hands feel clean but they also feel moisturized instead of being dried out. Though the sanitizers haven’t yet made the market, she makes for her family, friends and other interested persons. Aside from what’s available at the supermarket, Crawford is also taking orders. Whenever the demand is high, she hires help.
Not everything that goes into this line is done locally, Tazmein explained that most of her bottles are imported from the United States while her fragrances are brought from Saudi Arabia. In addition, the packaging labels for her products are done in Trinidad. “I’m happy that some persons are trying to update the local packaging. If I could say one thing, I feel that the government need to invest more in packaging as well as making packaging affordable in Guyana and nicer looking. We have great products here in Guyana but sometimes it looks really mediocre and doesn’t look of quality because a lot of people can’t afford the kind of packages they need. What I’ve learnt is that packaging really sells the product. While you need to have good products, if you don’t have attractive packaging, people will not care to pay the actual price for your products”, she posited.
The entrepreneur has already begun experimenting with, and is working towards adding body wash and soaps to her line. Part of the process Tazmein had shared is trying her products out on herself before marketing them, sometimes for several months before she is satisfied to take them to the market. Someday soon she hopes to have a company which provides jobs for numerous young persons. “I am really looking forward to becoming the next Avon. When I start talking about the future for my business, I get really excited”, said the woman. Tazmein said that she is always looking to expand her business. Crawford is also the host of her television show called TLC but instead of the ‘T’ in the acronym meaning ‘Tender’, it means Togetherness while the last two letters remain as Love and Care. TLC she said also stands for her names, Tazmein Latoya Coates. The show features various local celebrities and provides a platform also for the advertising of her business.
For one or more of the Lionel’s Extra Virgin Scented Coconut Oil products, Crawford can be reached on Facebook via the business’s page or at 661-3128.
Sassy Taz fragrant products (Saved as Tazmein Crawford 3)
Ms. and Mr. Irresistible fragrant products (Saved as Tazmein Crawford 4)
The original scented coconut oil products (Saved as Tazmein Crawford 5)
