In a small room in Libreville, Gabon, three partners, after four weeks of JA ITS TYME training, came together and decided to start a business recycling papers and making gift bags. In the beginning, it was just an idea that Jean-Bernard, Hubert and Laurette were exploring as a hobby, then it became bigger than that. They came up with a prototype which eventually won them the JA Gabon National Company of the year competition in 2014.
Their success paved the way for them to enter a contract with a local school to manufacture bins with recycled papers. They diversified with new products on the market; necklaces and bangles made with recycle papers. Their hope was to raise capital to buy or manufacture a drying machine, which is not available locally but was needed to make production faster and more efficient.
However, the road to their success not easy. Their first challenge was with their marketing research to identify the right target group and marketing strategy. Then came technical challenges with how to design a bag strong enough to carry heavy loads without compromising their niche for using recycled paper .
They overcame these challenges, and are now making their mark as entrepreneurs.
