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By Naomi Marshall
Creating miracle products from the ‘miracle tree’ is 25-year-old Tatyana Moore who is making oils and teabags with great benefits on the Essequibo Coast of Guyana.
Moore is the founder of ‘Miracle Oils’, a company that produces by-products of the Moringa oleifera plant also known as the drumstick tree or the miracle tree.
‘Miracle Oils’ produces its Moringa hair and skin care oil, and its Moringa teabag.
Moringa is known for protecting the skin and hair; treating edema; protecting the liver; preventing and treating cancer; fighting against bacterial diseases; protecting the cardiovascular system; treating diabetes, sickle cell disease and asthma, and improving eye health, among others.
In an interview with Village Voice News, Moore shared that she grew up on the Essequibo Coast, Region 2 with her mother, father and younger brother and sister.
She described her family as a “very close knitted and supportive” one that loves playing games and competing against each other.
Moore attended the Anna Regina Secondary School where she successfully completed her secondary education in 2013. She then joined the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) that said year to pursue studies in Food Science since she aspired to be a Food scientist. In 2015 Moore graduated from GSA with a Diploma in Food Science.
She subsequently began studies at the University of Guyana where she graduated with a Degree in Agriculture Science in 2019.
After graduating, Moore related that she was without a job which forced her to be innovative, the beginning of a fulfilling and auspicious journey for the young woman.
“One day my dad and I were I our farm. We were looking at the Moringa plant and my dad was telling me all the benefits of the plant. We would use it for tea, to cook with and he would use the leaf to treat Pterygium, a growing flesh on the white part of the eye,” she explained.
At that moment the young lady thought to herself that she could study the plant and make it into income.
“So I started studying the plant, I did a lot of research and tried so many things but what stood out for me was the oil from the dry pods which is what I started experimenting with. In late 2019 I start experimenting, trying to make the moringa oil but I was not getting the oil right because I wanted to see the shelf life and sometimes when I left it, after a few days it would start smelling so I was not getting it right,” Moore explained.
It was not until August 2020 that the young woman figured out the formula to getting the oil to last for as long as two years.
Upon figuring out the missing piece to the puzzle, Moore launched her business the said month and began selling the Moringa Hair and Skin Oil to her friends.
“When I started selling it was to my five best friends. Then they told their family and friends and it increased to ten customers. Customers started increasing and by September I had like 20 customers who were expressing how good the oil is was but persons said that they wanted a better bottle with a less narrow mouth,” she recalled.
According to Moore, she improved the quality of her bottle and took a brave step of having her business at an exhibition in November 2020. There is where her products became a buzz and she would sell 100 bottles of her Moringa hair and skin oil.
“I got so much exposure from that exhibition. After the exhibition people kept coming. The business kept growing and now I have so many customers. I have customers who came to Guyana, saw the product and bought it. Went back to the USA and are requesting the oil over there,” Moore related.
The proprietor of ‘Miracle oils’ said that her only challenge presently is not having enough supply of raw materials to meet demands and to begin the process of exporting her products.
The young woman expressed that being the owner of a successful business is a great feeling and also related that the juncture has allowed her to grow into a confident and outspoken person.
“I was never a confident person but I gained so much confidence because having this business I knew that I would have to express it to people so that they can understand what it is about. It has allowed me to grow because I am now seeing so many things I can do, not just to make a profit but to help others, especially with employment,” the entrepreneur said.
Apart from creating employment, Moore wishes to have her very own Moringa tree farm so that she can have a large supply of her raw materials which will allow her to meet the demands of her rapidly growing market.
Moore also shared her plan to create more by-products of Morings and to start exporting her products in the future.
“In the next five years Miracle oils should be in every supermarket and every home around the world,” she added.
Moore is advising youths to bring their ideas to life.
She noted, “So many people died with their ideas but what I like to tell people is do not be afraid to make your idea reality. You need to let your light shine. When you are in a room so many young people try to dim their light but you need to let your light shine.”
“For me I did one year of experimenting with this product and I was not getting anywhere and I could have given up but I did not so you need to just start somewhere and be consistent in whatever you are doing and believe in yourself and know that you have a purpose,” Moore added.
‘Miracle Oils’ products are available at Med-space Pharmacy located on Garnett Street Georgetown.
Interested persons living in Essequibo can contact Moore on 6306097, while customers in Linden and Georgetown can contact Moore’s Fiancé, Daniel Anthony on 6152625. ‘Miracle Oils’ products can also be checked out on Facebook.com.
