AS the country takes on the herculean task of rebuilding in the post-Hurricane Melissa era, one Kingston businesswoman is advocating for greater focus and support for women entrepreneurs, on whom she argues many families depend for their livelihood.

With data supporting her position, founder and chief executive officer of health and wellness company Ayuhthat, Shawnalee King-Gentles, says while there are a few exceptions, access to financing for women business owners could prove to be a major barrier to the national recovery process.

Against the background of a Planning Institute of Jamaica survey in 2023 which found that 80 per cent of women entrepreneurs reported challenges accessing credit, King-Gentles is calling for a shift in mindset.

“I’ve been in many conferences where women entrepreneurs specifically complain about how hard it is for them to get loans at the bank. And it’s not just anecdotal. There are studies that show that it’s a problem. The banks give women a harder time. Now more than ever we need that to change, given where we are and the amount of work we need to do to rebuild. More entities need to start providing support for women business owners,” she asserted.

For King-Gentles, a new loan product specifically designed for women business owners is changing the game. The self-styled entrepreneurial scientist is among the first cohort of recipients of Herizon loans from microfinance company Access Financial Services (AFS). Herizon caters to the business needs of small and medium enterprise (SME) customers across a range of industries.

“Approximately 70 per cent of our customer base are women, and we have been working with them to better understand what they need, especially at this time. We gave our hurricane-affected customers a three-month moratorium right after the passage of Melissa, and that provided some relief. In that time, we have been assessing and working on solutions that make sense for them. Herizon is an important part of that mix of solutions, and so far the feedback from customers has been positive. We’re happy to be able to satisfy a need within this group of micro, small, and medium enterprise operators that’s so critical to the national economy,” said AFS Chief Executive Officer Hugh Campbell.

As a manufacturer of Jamaican black castor oil products for health and wellness, King-Gentles says Herizon is helping Ayuhthat to tap into the growth potential of local pharmaceuticals for the domestic and export markets.

“Most people use castor oil for purely cosmetic reasons, but the science tells us that it has huge benefits for health and wellness. This loan from Access has made a big difference for the business and what we’re trying to accomplish. We have four full-time employees at the factory and seven part-time staff on the farm where we grow the castor beans, so I always need to manage my cash flow. What Access has done is given me access so we can effectively navigate business. When you have an entity that finds solutions for you, you have to celebrate them and what they’re doing,” said King-Gentles, who also operates a daycare facility with 18 employees.

Beyond access to appropriate financing, women in business often have issues juggling work and family caregiving responsibilities, which King-Gentles says makes the case for more support.

“Sometimes it feels like we’re carrying the whole society. We are mothers, we take care of our ageing parents, many of us manage reproductive issues, hormonal problems; then we manage businesses and have the responsibility of looking out for employees who look to you for their bread and butter. It’s a heavy load to carry, and sometimes it’s with little to no support,” she opined.

Noting that she gets help from her family, the mother of two says she is happy for her support system and grateful for the ability to put her applied science degree in industrial and analytical chemistry to good use. Firm in her passion for business and clear on what drives her, King-Gentles is encouraging other women business owners to “find their why” and stay the course.

She shared: “For me, it’s about impact. My businesses satisfy an important need. All the women who work for me are mothers. This is how they feed their children. Ayuhthat provides Jamaican black castor oil that helps my customers manage pain, reduce inflammation, circulation, and so much more. I love to see when they get relief from their ailments and they come back and say, ‘Miss Shawnalee, this has helped me so much.’ ”

Distributed to over 20 retail stores in Jamaica and with exports to the United States, United Kingdom, and Dubai, Ayuhthat makes pure cold-pressed 100 per cent Jamaican black castor oil which the entrepreneur says is poised to take advantage of the billion-dollar global trade in ‘nature’s liquid gold’. The trade in the Jamaican variety is estimated at around US$300 million; however, experts say only US$5 million of that goes to Jamaican producers. The Mona Institute of Applied Sciences at the University of the West Indies has been leading the national effort to develop a standard and acquire a geographic indication for Jamaican black castor oil that would prevent non-Jamaican producers from calling their products Jamaican black castor oil, essentially giving local producers like Ayuhthat a bigger slice of the pie.

Variants of Ayuhthat’s flagship product, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, which is sold in more than 20 local retail stores and exported to the United States, United Kingdom and Dubai. 

Founder and chief executive officer of Ayuhthat, Shawnalee King-Gentles poses with her company’s product, 100% Jamaican Black Castor Oil. 

Access Financial Services marketing and communications manager Nicholas Mundell tries a sample of Ayuhthat’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil from company founder and chief executive officer Shawnalee King-Gentles.