Health and wellness conscious women in Angola have a wonderful source of help when it comes to getting great support and resources to aid overall wellbeing. Okupuyuka Brunch and Wellness is a business that is the brainchild of three women entrepreneurs who want to create a one-stop-shop for women to eat healthily, de-stress with great wellness treatments, and exercise with like-minded women.
LoA found out more from one of the company’s founders, Vanda Tchimuondje Costa.
What does your company do?
The core business of our company is to promote the well-being and balance, body and mind of our clients in the healthy eating business, as well as how we treat our body and mind.
Our business is focused on the body, mind and soul. We offer our clients the following services:
- Healthy food restaurant;
- SPA focus on aromatherapy using local plants, including soaking baths, massages and vaginal steaming;
- Yoga and Pilates;
- Wellness shop focused on marketing products mostly Made in Angola linked to aromatherapy, therapeutic herbs, candles, accessories and others.
“The core business of our company is to promote the well-being and balance, body and mind of our clients in the healthy eating business.”
What inspired you to start your company?
The stressful life of being a woman, recognizing the many responsibilities with family, work and all, often without time for ourselves. Forgetting many times without us not being well, we cannot give our best to the people around us. Self care is not selfishness, putting yourself on top of your to-do list must be a lifestyle decision.
In addition, the challenge of working only with women, because there are many stereotypes that reinforce the idea that women are not good professionals. Me and two friends decided to start a company with a team of women only, and today we are a team of 15 women.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our biggest motivation is to give more people a higher quality lifestyle. It makes our business special.
Tell us a little about your team
We are 3 women who have decided to create a business focused primarily on women's wellness, and additionally despite the fact that women are very professional, they have less job opportunities, all because of the stereotypes that reinforce the idea that women are not as competent as men. Hence, we accepted the challenge of building a team only with women.
“Self care is not selfishness, putting yourself on top of your to-do list must be a lifestyle decision.”
“Our biggest motivation is to give more people a higher quality lifestyle. It makes our business special.”
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I am still a Chief Financial Officer of a Spanish multinational. However, because of the need for a healthier lifestyle and not finding in the Angolan market a space where we can have various services focused on wellness, together with two other friends we decided to create Okupuyuka. Okupuyuka is an Umbundu word of origin, which means rest - we translate that into well-being, relaxation and breathing.
One of our partners is full-time in the business, and myself and another partner continue to manage it together from our current office during the week, and at the end of the day and on weekends we go to Okupuyuka. It is not easy because it requires a lot of effort, organization and discipline. But despite the daily challenges we have managed to make the business thrive.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Continue to grow, improve the quality of our services, and open more Okupuyuka spaces in Luanda, and in other provinces in Angola, with the same concept.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Deconstruct stereotypes that it is very difficult to work with women and show other women that ‘Yes, We Can.’
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Never give up, and it's by doing that we learn.
Find out more
INSTAGRAM | EMAIL geral@okupuyuka.co.ao
Why LoA loves it….
The health and wellbeing industry is growing rapidly worldwide, and women consumers are constantly looking for ways to support their wish for a healthier lifestyle. In Angola, Vanda and her business partners are creating the ideal business offering for women who want to get healthier, fitter, and improve their overall wellbeing, combatting the effects of busy and stressful lives. This is a great business that is poised to continue to grow and connect with women who are looking for balance in their lives. - Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa