International Women's Day 2020 - A message from our Co-Founders

“Generation Equality begins now.” - UN Women

The 2020 theme for International Women’s Day is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. This message strongly resonates with the female co-founders of the socially responsible African brand; The Zola Collective. 

After working in multinational companies globally, facing inevitable challenges and unconscious bias in the workplace, Misha Patel and Anusha Mahtani founded The Zola Collective in 2019. Their aim is to build a socially responsible and ethical business with the fair and equal work culture. At present, the all-female team consists of inspiring women from Zimbabwe, UAE, Brazil, Ukraine, and Kenya. 

The Zola Collective works with farmers and NGOs in Zimbabwe and Kenya to identify indigenous African products and convert them into safe and high-quality products that can be consumed easily. Our aim is to popularise and create a global demand for these products to give local farmers a stable source of income.

“Our start-up journey has been demanding as we strive to challenge the status quo, set new benchmarks for international trade and bridge the gaps that still exist by taking small steps that have a big impact. We hope to inspire the future generation of female leaders and make progress towards parity.” - Misha Patel

“The Zola Collective focuses on creating opportunity and promoting equality in Africa, the place we grew up. We are committed to empowering all women everywhere through our business and hope that people are proud to purchase our products.” - Anusha Mahtani