| Roseau, Monday 23rd May, 2022: Dominican entrepreneur and CEO of Jaydees Naturals, Jodie Dublin-Dangleben, was recently awarded with a special recognition award at the inaugural Caribbean Women Inventors & Innovators Network (CaribbWIIN) Conference and Awards Ceremony, which took place at the Sir John E. St. Luce Conference Center in Antigua. This adds to a list of notable and respected organisations that have recognised the efforts and talents of Dublin-Dangleben and the impact of her burgeoning business. Organised by the UK-based GlobalWIIN, Dublin-Dangleben says she is grateful for the special honour, adding that she has high hopes for CaribbWIIN, which brought together global female pioneers, leaders, entrepreneurs and influencers and their amazing Caribbean counterparts to network and discuss issues relevant to innovation and sustainability. “I am truly humbled and grateful for this award. As a solution-minded individual, I am also very impressed by the effort of the organisers to bring together women from around the Region to not only recognise their efforts in innovation, but also to connect them with other persons of influence in their various fields.” As is the case with many business, Dublin-Dangleben’s company was started with a need, when in 2014 she was unable to find products to care for her hair which she was transitioning from processed to natural state. “It was really difficult for me to find those products that really treated my hair well, and so I spoke to my grandmother who encouraged me to go to the plants for the answer and that’s just what I did.” Her products are formulated using local and Caribbean indigenous fruit, leaf and flower extracts, dried herbs, glycerides, essential oils and macerations and proudly preserved in a safe and natural manner. Her customers, whom she affectionately calls Jaybugs, buy from her range of products which include her first and still popular offering- Whipped Shea Butter. They sing the praises of her Turmeric and Clay Face and Body Mask, which many claim has erased acne and spots from their skin. Her Stinging Nettle Growth Elixir is a maceration of over 34 herbs and oils. Launched in 2020, it sold out in one day and has been one of her best-selling products ever since. In effort to support rural women in Dominica, Jaydees Naturals also vends handmade earrings, made by Dominica’s first people- the Kalinago. All products are available on her newly launched website www.jaydeesnaturals.com which ships to DHL locations worldwide. Apart from her website, Jaydees Naturals has a strong social media presence, with views of Dublin-Dangleben’s haircare tutorials in the millions. |
| Founder and CEO of GlobalWIIN, Dr Bola Olabisi, says, the reach of social media to transform Caribbean businesses and expand their global reach cannot be overlooked, “Jodie has used social media in an exemplary way to demonstrate how someone from the Region can have global impact. We were very impressed by her work ethic towards, not only her business and her ability to develop and manufacture these innovative products, but her ability to consistently connect with her audience base through social media. It is truly impressive.” While not a competition with set eligibility criteria, the honorary award from CaribbWIIN and the accompanying opportunities mean much to Dublin-Dangleben. “I would really love to see this type of event happen on an annual basis and maybe with rotation among the islands. For me, I got the opportunity to meet other women that maybe I would not have crossed paths with outside of this event. I got the opportunity to also speak about and display my products to some influential persons and just the concept of encouraging innovation as an engineer and a person with a STEM background, I love the combination of science, finance and creativity. This is a much-needed activity and I am so happy I was a part of the first one.” With respect to Regional recognition for her work, Dublin-Dangleben was, in 2018, named valedictorian of the Dominican cohort of the World Bank’s Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC). In 2021, her concept for package-free shampoo bars and their beneficial correlation to single use plastic bottle reduction, placed her in the top three standing of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ (OECS) ‘Island Ideas Challenge’, where over 700 businesses from around the Region submitted sustainable event, business or project ideas. She was also winner of the Caribbean MicroPitch competition in December of that year. GlobalWIIN’s inaugural CaribbWIIN conference was held under the theme “Advancing creativity and innovation for resilience in global markets.” The event saw the participation of Regional women honoured for their innovation in several fields to include Entrepreneurship, Agri-business, Healthcare, Energy, Technology, Fashion, and the Arts. The event was supported by Directorate of Gender Affairs under the Ministry of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development, Antigua and saw presentations from Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Governor General Sir Rodney Williams; Minister for Social Transformation and the Blue Economy, Hon. Dean Jonas and Ricki Camacho, Registrar at the Antigua and Barbuda Intellectual Property Office. The event follows the success of GlobalWIIN in shining the spotlight on the creativity of hundreds of women in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North America. To order products and view tutorials, visit www.jaydeesnaturals.com. |
