Submitted by Jean-Pierre Larroque on Mon, Apr 22, 2013
Ever since Mahdi Ibrahim came to the United States as a refugee in the 1990s, he has been looking for ways to give back to his native Somaliland. Both countries
share an entrepreneurial spirit that has allowed Ibrahim to tap into the ancient Frankincense trade and create Boswellness, a skin care and aromatherapy company
that produces fair trade, organic frankincense and myhrra resins, oils, and hydrosols. Ibrahim reckons that he may be the first person to import a product from
Somaliland to the US. Shuraako is proud to work with Boswellness to connect with investors and achieve job creation in Somaliland.

Giving Back to Somaliland
Ibrahim's vision began in 2005 when he returned home to Vermont, USA after his father's funeral in Somaliland.
"When I came back I started dreaming about frankincense smoke with [my father's] head in the middle," recalled Ibrahim.
Frankincense is a tree, endemic to Somaliland that's resin is traditionally used as incense in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. In the West it is best known
as one of the gifts that the wise men presented to the baby Jesus. Ibrahim and his wife Jamie Garvey began purchasing resin from harvesters in Erigavo to sell
in the US. For Ibrahim, creating Boswellness, was a way to stay connected with Somaliland.
"I always wanted to have an impact back home and do something for my people," he said.

Globalizing an Ancient Trade
Ibrahim's motivation to start a Somaliland export business was so strong that he was able to convince Bill Lanzetta and Casey Lyon, two of his friends in Vermont
to partner with him. Together, they learned that by distilling the resin they could create an essential oil that is highly prized by perfume and cosmetic industries
and is a virtually untapped market in the US. Joined by Anjanette DeCarlo, a frankincense analyst at St. Michael's College in Vermont, and Marta Ceroni, director
of the Sustainable Economies Program at the Donella Meadows Institute, the team made an assessment of Somaliland's frankincense trade. Even though the industry
has thrived for thousands of years it is unregulated and revolves around a limited resource. When Ibrahim began traveling to the harvest region he found
harvesters that were paid in pasta instead of cash and trees threatened by over-harvesting.
Boswellness has worked hard to produce the first fair trade, certified organic Frankincense. When Ibrahim started purchasing resin, he paid $1.90 a kilo to a
middleman. Now he pays $3 USD a kilo directly to the harvesters and hopes to one day increase that to $10 USD. The idea is to pay the laborers a livable wage
and increase the market value of the tree, a species that takes 30 years to mature and has a 2% transplant rate. The company's commitment to the triple bottom
line has paid off. Boswellness has caught the eye of companies like Lush Cosmetics, who pride themselves on distributing natural, sustainably-sourced products.

An Investment Opportunity
Boswellness is also poised to expand its line into medicinal products. The antiinflamatory healing properties of frankincense have been known for a millennium,
however the pharmaceutical industry is just now realizing its potential. Recent cancer research has only spurred the demand for essential oil.
Now Boswellness is looking to scale up and provide more jobs for Somalilanders.
"We deal with six harvesters, but there are thousands of them," said Ibrahim. "They're just waiting for me to bring more customers."
Ibrahim's long term goal is to open a distillery in Somaliland to serve the African market, but admittedly water scarcity has been a deterrent in localizing production.
This roadblock highlights the challenge of satisfying frankincense's growing demand while acting as a steward for the harvest region. Ibrahim believes that the
balance can be achieved by partnering with like-minded impact investors.
"We want responsible buyers to help us to protect the trees," he said. "They have never been properly managed."
Ibrahim is obviously looking for a special type of investor, one that is committed to the environment, the Somali people, as well as turning a healthy profit.
If you share these values and are interested in learning more contact us at Shuraako or Boswellness.
http://shuraako.org/blog/boswellness-fr ... _235981850