Young woman penetrates the footcare market

Asande Dhlamini

asande.dhlamini@inl.co.za

TAKING care of our feet should be an essential part of our daily routine because they are among the most critical and hard-working parts of our body.

In addition to walking and balancing one's weight, extensive daily activities put a lot of strain on the feet. Although feet are among the most important parts of the body, they are also among the most neglected.

Refiloe Mohono and Optimist Philiso, in 2018 took it upon themselves to emphasise the importance of footcare by establishing O&R Products, a company that manufactures and markets footcare products under the brand name Complete Comfort.

Mohono said they ventured into the business because the footcare industry is niche and does not have enough vibrant products available. After establishing who their competitors were, with their vision and goals, the pair was certain that they could build a good reputation and long-term relationships with their customers.

“My business partner and I found the need for foot spray from ourselves. I don’t like wearing socks with my sneakers, which in turn makes my sneakers and feet smell bad, and my business partner suffers from foot blisters,” Mohono said.

After ample research and testing of products that could help them treat their issues, they did not find anything that could satisfy our needs in terms of quality, availability and fragrance, so they decided to manufacture their own.

The 100% black-owned and 50% woman-owned company offers quality personal health and wellness products. The pair takes pride in fusing modern science and old remedies to create products that are effective and assist their customers to live healthier and feel better.

The Complete Comfort product line offers different foot sprays such as lemon grass, rose geranium and tea tree shoe & foot sprays, which are deodorising, cooling and revitalising.

These products are strong enough for the toughest odours and heavily used athletic shoes, work boots, scandals and more. The products are safe and effective yet gentle enough to be used on sensitive skin.

“Our products are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. They help treat athletes’ feet, foot diabetics and foot odour,” she said. “We envision growing our footcare range before the end of the year.”

Mohono said what sets them apart is the way they have positioned themselves against their competitors, as they offer high-quality products at affordable prices.

One of the biggest challenges they have faced as a business is funding. “In order to reach our goals, we need a working capital that we currently don’t have. Sustaining a long-term relationship with our current customers also seems to be a challenge, as our brand is not well-known,” Mohono said.

Paying it forward, upon the growth of their business, job opportunities will be available in the Vaal Triangle community. “At the moment, our offering to the community is products that not only take care of our customers, but also of the environment they live in,” Mohono said.