Audio By Carbonatix
What used to be her kitchen when she was in the business of catering is now the production center for her cosmetics products.
Meet Yaa Anima Misa Gyampoh, owner of Green Essentials - a company that is into the production of soaps, body creams and lotions.
“This is where I produce everything,” she quipped as she ushered Joy Business' Daryl Kwawu to what is now Green Essentials - a green wooden structure next to her home.
The catering business she was operating had slowed down and this got her frustrated. It was in the turbulence that Yaa discovered a locally manufactured shower gel produced from black soap or what is referred to in Ghana as “alata simena.”
Her interest was stirred by the nature of the soap and this saw her signing up for a course in soap-making backed by several hours of research on YouTube.
Narrating the incident to Joy Business Van host, Yaa says she made several mistakes when she was learning the soap making.

Yaa with Joy Business' Daryl Kwawu
She, however, said gleefully that "Eventually I got there and with the help of Youtube I was able to mix different ingredients."
Yaa explained she began using "my own formulas and putting in different oils that people would normally not do." She walked Joy Business' Daryl as she mixed her concoctions.
She later fashioned out her own soap with shea butter, coconut, and peppermint oils. She christened it “The Breeze.”
Desirous of public feedback, Yaa gave her soaps to friends to try and this led to outpouring requests for more. Buoyed by instinct and feedback, Yaa concluded she would make soaps and sell them.
She was later to make souvenirs and hampers for people.
Yaa's products are finely packaged that people find it unbelievable when they are told they are made in Ghana.

A closer look at Yaa's creation
“People are very impressed especially with the lotion because we rarely have locally produced lotions,” Yaa remarked basking in the glory associated with her creation.
She hopes to move from the kitchen space to another space which would afford her the opportunity to produce in mass quantities. For her, this is definitely a career for life.
“I wake up early in the morning and all I want to do is cut my soaps, make sure the kids are asleep so that I can make my soap, mix my lotions, try different concoctions,” a fulfilled Yaa told Daryl Kwawu.
She sees a business empire in the future anytime she sees Green Essentials.
Watch full video below:
Latest Stories
-
Man convicted over theft of church musical instruments in Hohoe
34 seconds -
NPP demands immediate arrest of suspect over alleged assault on social media activist
2 minutes -
The Honest Count: How eleven years on the frontlines shaped a scientist’s view of health inequity
5 minutes -
Citizen sues the Government of Ghana over MPs’ share of District Assemblies Common Fund
10 minutes -
AG to meet US Justice Department over all pending Ghana-US extradition requests – Kwakye Ofosu
27 minutes -
‘Stop fighting, start building’: Bagbin backs Nadowli-Kaleo DCE as he donates 16,584 school uniforms
30 minutes -
Heavy rains trigger flooding, gridlock on Weija SCC–Atala stretch of Accra–Takoradi Highway
33 minutes -
Floods claim life of 45-year-old man in Twifo Atti-Morkwa; another missing
48 minutes -
NADMO director appeals to chiefs to protect flood-prone lands
49 minutes -
AMA Mayor confirms excavator operator safe after near-miss during Osu demolition
49 minutes -
GSTEP 2026: Students showcase groundbreaking solutions at national innovation pitching events
51 minutes -
Top Ghanaian entertainers billed for first-ever Afro park party in Bremen
53 minutes -
Exporters urged to sustain compliance as Ghana’s Non-Traditional Exports hit record growth
54 minutes -
Plant Genetic Resource Research Institute calls for dedicated funding to operate
1 hour -
Africa’s forests still hold key to resilient livelihoods, AFF says
1 hour