Swaady Martin: when business meets the ingenuity of the African woman

In Africa, the entrepreneurial environment is perceived as an ecosystem where men have a greater capacity to adapt than women. Yet today, more and more women are turning to entrepreneurship, eager to make a difference and prove to the world and to themselves that they have their part to play in business development on this continent.

Among them, Swaady Martin, Ivorian businesswoman and founder of the luxury brand Yswara. Born in Côte d’Ivoire to a mother of Ivorian, French, Guinean origin and an American father, she lived successively in Liberia and Senegal, before settling in Europe where she studied in London then in Switzerland at a business school. Graduated with an MBA that she obtained jointly from the London School of Economics, New York University and HEC Paris, she joined the multinational General Electric in the United States and worked there for 11 years.

Despite the fine career she enjoyed, Swaady never repressed the idea of entrepreneurship and bringing added value to the African continent. In 2010 she left the American juggernaut to launch her company Yswara the following year. Swaady Martin-Leke’s goal: to change the world’s perception of Africa. “I was born into a family of changemakers. My parents nurtured a strong sense of awareness and responsibility to make the world a better place, starting from within.” Make the world a better place starting from within. She stuck to that thought.

Indeed, when she left General Electric in 2010, she resumed studies to obtain even more expertise. She was inspired by the Louis Vuitton firm to launch her brand, specializing in the production of luxury tea, chocolate and also artisanal jewellery. “I wanted to initiate a luxury brand that is truly African in its origins, nature and tradition. All our materials come from Africa and are made locally by craftsmen who combine traditional knowledge and modern design (…) We call it Luxe Ubuntu because it creates wealth for African society,” she said.

In Africa, the consumption of tea is an ancestral practice. Foreigners are often received over a glass of tea and it is something popular with young and old. She, who grew up in Ivory Coast and Senegal, two countries renowned for their high tea consumption, is a fine connoisseur of this aromatic drink prepared from dried leaves that rocked her childhood and adolescence.

The name of her brand Yswara derives from a combination of Swaady (meaning happiness) and Ty Wara, a mythological animal in the Bambara culture who taught mankind about agriculture and social values. Yswara teas are concocted from African herbs that are consumed throughout Africa from Kinkeliba in West Africa to Rooibos in South Africa.

His business is growing rapidly, with a store in Nigeria and especially through online sales. She works with Rwandan and Malawian producers.

Swaady practices organic farming, which is a method of agricultural production that aims to respect natural systems and cycles, maintain and improve the state of the soil, water and air, the health of plants and animals, as well as the balance between them.

In addition to activities related to her Yswara brand, Swaady Martin is a leader, influencer and founder of an independent publishing house that creates mindful books for children.

Today, Yswara is one of the most sought-after African brands and Swaady Martin, one of the most awarded businesswomen on the continent. In 2012, she was considered by Forbes as one of the most influential African women and received numerous recognitions.