INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN – VIMBAI KAVHUMBURA + HAMPER GIVEAWAY

I’ve known Vimbai for the longest time. What I admire most about her is her drive to continuously reinvent herself. We finally managed to sit down, so that she can share her story with you. Zimbabwean by birth, but spending most of her youth in the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and studying in Cape Town and the UK before finally settling in Johannesburg, at least for now…

Thank you for agreeing to share your story and for being so inspiring! In Vimbai’s own words …

My creative journey began fairly early.  I remember doing needlework classes when I was in primary school and then during school holidays learning to use my Mum’s sewing machine.  My gran taught me how to knit and crochet, which was quite a challenge since I’m left-handed and she’s not.  My love for making things covers a whole lot of things from gardening to baking, which in my opinion means that I think you can do anything in a creative way, even folding towels. 

When I finished studying, I worked for a while in a Customer Service Call Centre.  The work was interesting, but I needed something to do with my hands so I took up knitting and Sudoku.  One day at the haberdashery, while buying wool for yet another scarf, I wandered into the button section and bought my first stash, not really knowing what to do with them.  Pretty soon I was making earrings and ‘Googling’ how to make other types of jewellery.

I started selling my one-of-a-kind earrings to friends and family and before I knew it, I had a small business going.  That was 10 years ago!  Eventually, I felt I needed a new challenge and went back to the Pinterest Board for inspiration.  I came across some recycled crayon tutorials where people would take the broken bits of crayon they had lying around and melt them into different shapes.  It looked like fun and a great gift idea for my niece, and just like that, I started making wax crayons and a new business opportunity arose.

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

It wasn’t long before I discovered that not all crayons are created equal.  I have always wanted to make things that are sustainable and good for the environment.  I was involved with the Swaziland Fair Trade for a number of years and am still passionate about an ethical and sustainable approach to business.  I started researching ingredients and soon switched from paraffin-based wax to soy wax. Then I stumbled upon Bath Crayons during my research.  What the heck is bath crayon?!  To me colouring in the bath sounded way cooler than just ordinary paper (we didn’t have them when I was growing up).  I began researching for more information and found that I wasn’t the only one who a) had never heard of bath crayons before and b) thought they were amazing! 

That is how Tamba Naturals was born.  Tamba is the Shona word for ‘to play’ or ‘to dance’, and that’s really at the heart of what we do.  We identified a ‘gap‘ in the market and created and made something fun and educational that doubled up as a business opportunity in the South African market.  Our non-toxic colours and unique shapes set us apart from other commercial products that usually have a large plastic component. We use soy wax and glycerine soap base so that our crayons are gentle on the skin and wash off easily, which should be a huge relief for parents.  Our crayons won’t stain the bath (or the kids) as they easily wash off with little to no elbow grease. Another exciting aspect is that our products are packed in 90% recyclable packaging and we try to source all our materials locally from other small businesses to make it a truly #proudlySouthAfrican product. #AD

Right now we are still a fairly small business, but the response to our products has been great and I am excited about growing our range beyond bath crayons into other bath and body products.  We recently launched our Popsicle soap range, that make amazing party favours and/or gifts.  The full range is available at selected stockists around Gauteng or from our online store – https://www.tambanaturals.com/shop