And then there is the remarkable story of Gladness Khumalo and Lizelle Beukes. The two women met a decade ago at a trade show in Johannesburg where they were both hosting the stands of very different exhibitors. During a lull in activity, the two got chatting. And so was born a lasting friendship – and a business.
Gladness and Lizelle decided that they wanted to produce and sell car air fresheners. Neither liked the “fruitiness” of most fresheners on the market and thought that car fragrances should rather be based on cologne, classy scents that mimicked the best perfumeries in the world. In 2010 Sasol supported the brand new business by paying for product development and branding. Arrero Car Cologne was up and running.
But getting orders and getting into retail outlets was by no means easy and, several years later, the two women approached the SBI. After being accepted to participate in the SBI, they packed up their homes and their lives in Johannesburg and moved to Sasolburg where today they share a townhouse and go to work every day, at the SBI, making and marketing exquisite car air fresheners.
