When Nichole Murray-Broome fell ill between 2012 and 2013 and was seeking the advice of numerous doctors, a career change was sparked. Her illness made her reconsider what she was consuming and led her on a path of discovery where she embarked on a mission to improve her own life and the lives of others. Thus, the wellness business specialising in natural and healing teas, Naturinda’s, was born.
Murray-Broome explained that being exposed to illness and death in her family left her feeling like something was missing, with her mother succumbing to breast cancer and having to take care of her diabetic grandmother and father. In fact, one of her tea brands, Bishop’s Chattel House, is named after her grandmother who was a “tea baby” and passed away last year from the chronic non-communicable disease.
“I did the Youth Agri-preneurship Incubator programme in 2017 and there, we were taught the business of crop production, animal husbandry, and agri-processing. The course was important to me because I wanted to use herbs to do something to help people; teas were my aim,” she noted.
“For me, teas were the best way to get people to make use of what was healthy without feeling like they were healthy. Tea is pretty much drinking vitamins and anti-oxidants.”
Armed with this idea in mind, the micro-business owner set out to conduct research, which included chatting with elderly Barbadians about what they grew up seeing their grandparents use for various ailments for themselves and their families. Murray-Broome admitted that she had never heard about most of the names that were given.
“This sent me on a trek now through gullies and beaches and everywhere trying to find these herbs, and that’s where everything came together for me,” she told Today’s Business.
“The purpose was now even clearer: to reignite a culture that had gone missing . . .and that is really to have natural products coming out of the Caribbean to help people in the Caribbean,” she stressed.
“The slogan for Naturinda’s is “naturally good Caribbean food”. The greater aim is to have not just tea, but other products on the shelves that provide a viable, healthier option than what we would traditionally buy.”
Murray-Broome, who has worn numerous hats during her career including that of a communications executive, is also a farmer. She credits her unwavering faith in God for making a way, especially at times when it seems impossible.
Just when she felt that tug that said she needed to amp up her business another notch, the (Barbados) Trust Fund Limited was introduced and she became one of the first recipients. With this loan, she was then able to elevate Naturinda’s by rebranding.
The businesswoman is passionate about agri-business and maintains that certain aspects of the field can be improved. For example, having an equipment rental programme, she says, can save the government valuable foreign exchange, as agri-processors would be able to have access to much-needed tools without everyone spending money on the same equipment. She also cited water woes for farmers in rural areas such as St Andrew as another area that is in dire need of intervention.
As Barbados enters the two-week national pause, this also puts Naturinda’s on pause, where a loss of income will be incurred, which Murray-Broome acknowledged will be tough for micro-business owners.
With uncertain times on the horizon due to the economic fallout occasioned by COVID-19, Murray-Broome advises potential business owners not to be afraid to start small.
She also advised that research is extremely important and made a call to business owners to price their products and services what they are valued.
