Toca Essentials is a natural wellness and skincare brand that taps into Africa’s rich botanical healing heritage to provide a quality skin, body and hair product line.
Its Afrobotanical and CBD product range of topical creams, water-based ointments and oral treatments, are also SA Bureau of Standards (SABS)-approved, a rarity in the emerging cannabis industry where most supplier and producer stakeholders are still finding their feet and have yet to receive any kind of stamp of approval.
Among its topicals for back pain, arthritis and joint muscles and bioseed oils for face, body and hair care are sandwiched herbal teas and oral products for energy and better sleep.
“I would say most of my customers are females between the ages of 35 and 65 and some are pensioners as these are the people most likely to need the relief and relaxation the products are tailored to give,” says founding and managing owner, Lebo Skosana. Her consumers like the fact that they can order their beloved item in a medium of their choice, a factor that’s playing no small part in optimising her offering’s appeal.
The headline products of CBD oils, African potato cream and CBD & Devils Claw massage serum are crafted from naturally available ingredients, culled from traditional African herbal knowledge. Lebo used her Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) heritage, passed down from her Lesotho-born grandmother, in starting her brand.
“I thought if I could combine that with the specifications available in modern medicine such as dosage, treatment intervals and product info, I could come up with something different and exciting,” she states. “Our mission is to combine traditional plant wisdom with modern natural wellness practices to support healthy skin and holistic self-care”.
Toca Eseentials only made its Cannabis Expo debut this year but has been in business for five years, hence’s Lebo’s understated claim to “have been around the block for a while”. It has a staff complement of four, two females and two males. They together oversee a daily production output of about 100kg and on average produce 100 units per quarterly cycle, according to Lebo’s calculation.
Sustainability is a top Toca Essentials priority; 30% of its range is from recyclable material.
“We have developed an ecosystem within a circular economy. I get the flower from Tebogo from Budwize in Nigel and process everything, from extraction, manufacturing, labelling and packaging in-house,” states Lebo. She adds that every product is crafted with a commitment to purity, transparency and ethical sourcing to honour African centuries-old wellness traditions.
Toca Essentials budding success owes in part to Lebo’s cross-industry expertise in IT, business induction, cost and management accounting as is the case with a sizable number of notable cannabis entities. The former University of Johannesburg student thanks for their support the Small Enterprises Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic).
Consumers can order from her extensive inventory in-store at her shop in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni or online from the Toca Essentials website and also on Whatsapp Business. The products can be delivered to their doorstep by partner couriers.
For the moment, the intrepid entrepreneur has her sights on partnering budding cannabis clubs around Joburg and Pretoria so her product can receive wider exposure. Visit https://tocaessentials.co.za to place an order or view the amazing product range. Phone/Whatsapp: 073 093 6567; email: Toca.essentials@gmail.com. Physical address: 16182 Robert Sobukwe Street, Ext 5C, Tsakane, Ekurhuleni.
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