Visiting her mother’s homeland, Guyana, Danielle Hodge was inspired to create an avenue to not only promote her heritage, but to empower local communities. This inspiration gave birth to Indigenous Coconut Oil.
In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, Danielle said she was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Orlando, Florida, where she currently resides. Her mother is from Anna Regina, Guyana and her father from St. Martin.
In 2016, Danielle visited Guyana to attend the first annual Coconut Festival. Out of the many trips she has taken to visit her family, the trip to Guyana in 2016 was different. With over 10 years’ experience in grassroots marketing and a true passion to give back to her mother’s homeland, it was an easy decision to take on a brand of her own. Danielle cancelled her round trip ticket back to the US and stayed in Guyana for a month until she found her product. During Danielle’s last trip to Guyana, Indigenous Coconut Oil was born.
Indigenous Coconut Oil was founded in 2016 with a simple idea: to empower women artisans in Guyana by showcasing their beautiful craft through entrepreneurship. Its products are handmade by indigenous women located along the Pomeroon River in Guyana. So when you purchase those products you support indigenous women groups.
“I started Indigenous Coconut Oil on my own. The idea and taking the leap to start, I will say came from God. What keeps me going is knowing that it’s alright to fail, but most importantly giving my all every day and knowing giving up is not an option,” expressed Danielle.
She noted that the mission behind Indigenous Coconut Oil is to empower Guyanese women and encourage young entrepreneurs.
“As a first time entrepreneur myself, I know it can be scary not knowing what to do. You start questioning and doubting yourself on starting a business of your own. Sometimes you may even feel you can’t go out and look for a job because there aren’t many opportunities or enough encouragement. I want to be an example and use my platform to assist in creating opportunities. I am on a mission to advocate for women and young people to ensure artisans in Guyana are getting decent and consistent work,” she declared.
Danielle mentioned that she has been in business for about seven months now and there is much she still has to accomplish. She added that connecting with the Guyana Marketing Corporation; International Organization for Migration; and the University of Guyana has been a “huge accomplishment thus far”. Danielle pointed out that these organisations have been very helpful in getting her the assistance she needs in Guyana.
“There have been a lot of things that inspired me along my journey, including support from my family and friends. I can say my last bit of inspiration came from my visit to the Coconut Festival last October in Guyana. Seeing all the products and small business owners gave me the final ‘ok’ to put Indigenous Coconut Oil into motion. I haven’t partnered with any organisations as yet, but I am very open to hearing from organisations with potential for partnership and creating future opportunities,” she declared.
Danielle’s plans also include organising “a small mix and mingle” to meet with women in business and young women looking for guidance in entrepreneurship in Guyana. Additionally, she hopes to meet with students at various schools in Guyana to encourage and empower them. Her goal is to also partner with local villages and continue to be a platform to market natural products from Guyana and indigenous communities.
“I hope to also meet with any government officials interested in my story. I hope by meeting with them, we can create a blueprint for new job opportunities in Guyana. In the future, I would like to add more products to my brand. I feel that as the brand grows, the demand for product from Guyana will grow,” Danielle stated.
For more information, email Danielle at info.indcoco@gmail.com or visit indigenouscoconutoil.com or Indigenous Coconut Oil on Facebook.
