Kendra talks with Chinonye Akunne (@chinonyeakunne) about growing ILERA Apothecary (@ileraapothecary) the African-centered, clean beauty brand she launched in 2015, expanding to 40 stores across the US and building ILERA Labs, an FDA approved manufacturing facility that offers services to other brands. ILERA is an example of a brand built on family inspiration and driven, in its early stages, by expertise within the family circle. We discuss ILERA’s surprise move to wholesaling, COVID pivot, and meeting the demands of their accelerated ascent within the retail space. Throughout our conversation, Chinonye shares her networking stories, the difference between sponsorship and mentorship, and the systematic approach to continuing to develop the brand.
“Everything we have done with this brand has been very intentional from the minimalistic packaging, to the glass packaging, to our name. Ilera means “health” in the Yoruba language in Nigeria. Apothecary is an old world for pharmacy. My dad’s a pharmacist. My siblings and I grew up working in the family pharmacy.” - ChinonyeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
