Words by Imala

At an era where the whole world is connected through social media, we are seeing a lot of talented people who are working so hard in showing the world what each of them can do. Creating a name for themselves by showcasing what they are capable of. As we feature these artists in our very own Maldivian community we are always filled with wonder in their creations. For this week’s special feature, we have such a very talented individual who has a skincare line that is handcrafted using natural substances. Yes, that is right, we are talking about none other Ogaa.Mv who specializes in creating natural bath and body care brands.

To start off, “My name is Azu and I am the creator of Ogaa brand. I started this business in 2017 after doing a lot of thinking on what kind of business I can do after which a company was registered in the name of Artistree. I had initially started with creating soaps and used to sell them in Lecute those days. Back then I used to be happy even if I was just able to sell seven soaps in a month. During this process I did an ISO certification in 2019 as I wanted to implement a quality management system so that the quality of the products is maintained with the quality of services and Ogaa brand was launched afterwards. Ogaa brand products are eco friendly, wholesome product that can be used by anyone. The products in Ogaa brand includes, soap, shampoo bars, balms, deodorants and the most recent released product would be candles. Another thing I would like to add is that we try not to use plastic in the packaging of our products.”

When inquired how the name of the brand came about Azu replied that, “At that time of creating Ogaa Brand we were consulting a company called Ember Blu. As the days passed, we were unable to come up with a name and then one early morning at around 0300am the word Ogaa came to my mind and I hurried to check the name from the economic ministry website. Ogaa is depicted from ‘Ogaatherikan’ in Dhivehi. Since our products are created in an eco friendly way which is good for the skin, it was the perfect name to represent our brand.”

As we took in the surroundings with vibrant soap bars, it was a sight to behold and one thing was evident is that a lot of work and effort has been put into Ogaa products. As Azu spoke with a gleam in her eyes whilst cutting the soap using a soap cutter, we were able to see how much she enjoyed that simple task. And to reach there she has already gone through the whole process of cooking up different elements to be added and lastly keeps the soaps in a stacking manner in-order to cure the soaps for 4-6 weeks. It was very intriguing to see that each product is made in such a way that it is eco friendly and biodegradable.

As for the challengers in this line of work, Azu said, “The biggest challenge would be having to bring a lot of raw materials from abroad which is not available in Maldives hence the prices of the products.” Also, Azu described the customer feedback as, “People are very aware about Ogaa brand soap, and I feel that for some people it is more of an issue with switching from liquid soap to bar soaps. Despite this I have to say the customer response is very positive and since the launching in 2019 I have to say that Ogaa has expanded a lot and also the customer base has also increased immensely.”

For the future, Azu has very high hopes of making Ogaa an international brand. “That was the main reason I wanted to be ISO certified so that I can provide good products with a good service that the community would accept it. For now, I have been able to supply Ogaa brand products to resorts, airport and to few shops here as well. And international shipping is also available through Ogaa.Mv website.”

It is always a pleasure to see these Maldivian crafted businesses working so hard to show the world that despite belonging to a tiny nation we are nothing short of talented individuals.