FRESHMO PROMISES FRESHNESS IN YOUR POCKET

Oral hygiene is a very important part of our day and is often neglected after the first brush in the morning till the time before we go to bed. What happens in the middle? How do we refresh our breath and clean our mouths during the day? Well, Freshmo promises to fill that gap in an easy, portable and safe way.

Building FRESHMO

Paul Masilo (Director of Freshmo Brands) began this journey of portable mouthwash to initially address the freshness of breath at church during fasting periods.

Many people resort to gum and sweets to refresh their mouths during busy seasons, which is not very ideal as there is tooth decay. These 10ml Freshmo mouthwash sachets are quick and easy to travel with and can come to the rescue to provide oral hygiene conditions instantaneously. In five great flavours: Peppermint. Spearmint. Apple Strawberry and Watermelon.

Masilo has pursued business before, from corporate gifting solutions to designing solutions with a biblical inclination as well as in African languages.

After pursuing many ventures, in 2016, the portable mouthwash became a great idea However, there was a need for some seed funding.

The initial idea was to repackage some of the mouthwashes that already existed in the market However, these are owned by foreign companies and going into business with them would be very costly. So Masilo was challenged to explore a South African solution

This meant going into the lab and designing a mouthwash from scratch. They had to think of an original formula This needed investment financial and also knowledge. This was a village project with many people wanting to assist the vision and come to life.

The process of development began there with different parties coming on board, the University of Limpopo (Seda- facilitated testing by sabs and the university of Limpopo Research Centre), Bidvest (funding sachet and raw materials) the Innovation Hub, Ekasilab Grant was used for sachet design, SASOL who funded the initial formula production, Chemin for lab facilities.

After approval, there was more to still occur, the financial and legal aspects. Spoor and Fischer Firm assisted with the trademarking of the brand CHEITA is assisting with business training. SAICA has provided Financial coach Zoh Mashabane (RZD Coaching) This is to ensure the success of the business and the owner.

Challenges

Getting into large commercial retailers. has been difficult due to the comparison with the giants in the industry. There is a lot of admin and competition for shelf space in the retail space There is a need for large marketing and distribution budgets. However, they continue to pursue them To get it listed in the shops

Pricing. Once people know it is made locally, they want to negotiate the price Demanding discounts and overall entitlement.

Oral hygiene perception. People lack efficient education on the need for oral hygiene and its importance. It is often a taboo topic for many people because people are offended with these discussions. Studies say 50% of people suffer from bad breath It is a sensitive topic, which may offend people

Milestones

It has been an honour for Freshmo to have the backing of so many institutions believing in him Some of the milestones are the opportunities to exposure to world leaders like, having a chance to showcase Freshmo in Mozambique and having the chance to explaining what is Freshmo to South African embassodor in Mozambique Retired General Siphiwe Nyanda as well as the Mozambique prime.

Getting out there…

People have shown love and interest in the sachets now it needs to go to the market The product has been approved and licensed. How has Paul and his team increased awareness? They use social media methods and word of mouth. There are some more plans to target other larger agencies for adoption under their enterprise development sectors

What's next?

Paul and his team aims to have good reception and establishment in the market. They want to explore with some herbs and produce an organic version of the mouthwash There are indigenous herbs that can assist, like Rooibos. This will benefit the home economy and create empowerment

How big is your team?

Family business, working with his two sons. One is going to the public relations portion The second one is in production manager. The plan to recruit more people once we secure the large quantities. Young people, through Chemi and incubation.

Team: Luckwell - Production Manager

Rafiq Rapelang- Trainee PR Manager

Paul Masilo-Director

Freshmo Brands logosbranding@outlook.com

+27 84 273 7821and +27 61 945 9593 www.brandfreshmo.co.za