Intuition, innovation and entrepreneurial success

It takes courage to succeed as an entrepreneur – to start and persevere in your own business, especially when faced with challenges. Albeit a small company, Essential Specialised Products is one of those courageous businesses. As the company is celebrating its 10 th anniversary, we explore ESP’s journey to reach this significant milestone. By Abby Vorster

Essential Specialised Products, or ESP as it’s known to customers and throughout the cosmetics and personal care industry, was established in January 2010 by Jane Grainger. At the time, Grainger had identified an opportunity in the market for a specialised supplier and wanted to develop a company that was small and focused enough to handle customer enquiries for specialised ingredients.

“The emphasis on the word specialised is central to ESP’s ability to be on the same wavelength as its customers,” she explains. “It talks to the original meaning of the term ESP and is why our payoff line is ‘we know what you want’!” Like many small businesses, the company initially operated out of Grainger’s garage. Two years later, in 2012, ESP moved into its very first office. The business kept on growing, which resulted in subsequent moves to bigger office space in 2014 and again in 2016.

We always say, ‘at ESP our red tape is green’

The 2016 move was significant – during this time ESP unpacked its first full container of shea butter and did its first direct indent to one of its global customers.

Shea butter is still one of ESP’s top selling products. It is widely used in the cosmetics industry to protect skin from environmental aggressors, UV radiation, photoageing and to eliminate superficial irritations. The high level of fatty acids (dominated by oleic, stearic and linoleic acids) and the unsaponifiable fraction contribute to its ability to moisturise the epidermis and retain skin’s elasticity. Shea butter is also said to be superior to both cocoa butter and jojoba butter in the treatment of damaged hair.

While these highlights form the better part of ESP’s first decade in business, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. In 2018, an investor showed interest in the company and what seemed like it would provide a positive boost ended up having a negative impact on the business. Grainger explains: “We spent most of 2019 rebuilding the business after a lot of damage had been done to the ESP brand. We’d worked too hard and come too far to give up. Our passion and drive to survive eventually paid off, resulting in us ending 2019 on a high.”

At the beginning of 2020, the company moved into its dream office space with an adjacent warehouse, located in Factoria, the industrial suburb of Krugersdorp, Gauteng.

Did you know?

ESP is launching an e-commerce platform which will allow customers to order its products online. This innovation forms part of ESP’s ability to adapt in line with its customers’ needs. Everything from active ingredients to oils, butters and functional products will be available to purchase online and delivered via courier. The e-commerce offering is launching soon and will be easily accessible via ESP’s website.

Flexible, adaptable and customer-centric

ESP is a professional and proudly South African distributor of a wide range of cosmetic and personal care ingredients.

“Our ingredients are sourced from established and reputable partners from around the world, many of whom are leading innovators in various specialist ingredient segments,” says Grainger. “Our reputation for outstanding service, reliability and integrity, coupled with long-standing experience, allows us to exceed the expectations of even the most demanding customers.”

The company’s team plays an important role in upholding this ethos. Liz Visser, ESP’s sales and marketing manager, joined the business in 2010 and has been Grainger’s right-hand lady ever since. Grainger and Visser are supported by a client liaison executive, warehouse manager and cleaning lady, who make up ESP’s small yet dynamic team.

“We are flexible and adaptable,” says Grainger, who adds that the team puts a lot of effort into ingredient sourcing. “Going the extra mile for our customers has paid off in the long run. We always say, ‘at ESP our red tape is green’.”

This flexible approach has also been a key driver behind the launch of ESP’s small pack sizes offering, which was introduced about a year ago.

“As a result of many requests from customers to provide stock in smaller pack sizes, we created a platform for ordering packs ranging in size from 100 grams to four kilograms. The products available in smaller pack sizes are listed on a dedicated page on our website and they are always in stock,” she explains.

World-renowned products and services

ESP is proud to represent a variety of leading principals, including Active Concepts, Phoenix Chemicals and Nuwen by Setalg.

Active Concepts conceptualises, manufactures and supplies raw materials to the cosmetics and personal care industry. Its commitment to assessing, sourcing and creating innovative products and technology platforms mirrors the ever-evolving expectations and marketing environments of the industry.

Phoenix Chemicals is a high-technology, customer-oriented company dedicated to product and market development.

The company promises to deliver the highest quality cosmetic and beauty ingredients, as well as environmentally-friendly makeup.

Nuwen by Setalg is recognised for its know-how in the transformation of marine natural products for the cosmetics industry. Nuwen’s range of cosmetic powders are widely used in the spa, salon and professional skin care market as peel-off, exfoliation and rinse-off face and body masks. These are resold in South Africa under ESP’s SeaSentric brand.

All these principals provide ESP with unrivalled technical and marketing support, which the company transfers to its customers, allowing them to get the very best from the innovative ingredients and formulation technologies on offer. Like many businesses this year, ESP continues to navigate the challenges brought about by COVID-19. Yet, Grainger is confident the company will go from strength to strength for years to come, bringing world-class ingredients and formulation technologies to the South African cosmetics industry. •