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.