Feven Tsehaye, posing for a photo in her workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: Yasir Faiz, bird Story Agency
The search for natural, locally-sourced products which truly work became personal for Ethiopian entrepreneur Feven Tsehaye. The result: an enterprise that transforms indigenous forest plants into high-value products the world has long overlooked.
Yasir Faiz, for bird story agency
In a quiet workspace in Addis Ababa, Feven Tsehaye watches a bundle of wild-harvested herbs being sorted. The process is intricate: after being air-dried to preserve their volatile oils, the leaves are sorted by hand. The result is a sensory alchemy, golden skincare oils that smell of earth and sun, and deep-hued herbal teas that carry the history of the Ethiopian highlands. For Tsehaye, this isn’t just manufacturing; it is the meticulous preservation of nature, turning raw, indigenous plants into high-value products the world has long overlooked.
Feven’s path to becoming a pioneer in Ethiopia’s emerging plant economy began far from the forest floor. Her background in social impact investing took her across the African continent but it was the recurring gap between rural farmers and urban consumers that stayed with her.
“There was a shortage of products I wanted to use myself, things that are natural, free of chemicals, and transparent,” Tsehaye explained.
Driven by a fascination with how things are made and a desire to see Ethiopian resources celebrated, she founded Chaka Origin in 2019. Her mission was personal: to create a brand that delivered products that she and other conscious consumers had been searching for.
Ethiopia is home to vast natural agricultural wealth, yet Tsehaye noticed that botanical knowledge of which seeds heal and which leaves offer flavour, was disappearing as the country struggled to find a place in the modern, global market.
“A big part of what we do is finding new applications for indigenous plants,” she explained.
By reimagining a plant traditionally used for flavouring as a premium export tea, for example, she isn’t just selling a product; she is ensuring that traditional knowledge is passed down to the next generation.
Her approach is deeply rooted in the concept of agroforestry. Rather than clearing land, Feven works within existing forests, partnering with the people who live there. She has focused her efforts specifically on women, recognising them as the traditional custodians of Ethiopia’s herbs and spices.
“In many cases, herbs and spices are crops that women are already looking after,” Tsehaye notes. By offering buy-back guarantees through annual contracts, she has turned a household chore into a stable, dignified income stream for these women.
Chaka Origin’s oils are used in skincare, haircare, and fragrance products. Many everyday personal care products, such as shampoos, toothpaste, and face creams, contain similar natural ingredients. These products are supplied to manufacturers, as well as directly to consumers.
Today, the company team consists of approximately 12 people, and strive to promote the use of local plants and preserve the traditional knowledge passed down through generations.
“We hope that by doing this work, we’re able to preserve the different uses of indigenous products, the traditions and knowledge shared from generation to generation.”she adds.
Edom Mersha, Shop Manager of Entoto Gallery says that some customers come in and use the tasting sample provided by Chaka. They experience the aroma and texture of the oil before making a purchase decision.
“Our stock runs out quickly” she says, “and we replenish it constantly. In our experience, people love the product! There’s another type of customer who is already familiar with the products, in addition to those who visit the store directly.”Mersha says.
Tsehaye’s work often involves small-scale innovations with large-scale impacts. She introduced vermicomposting, a technique that uses specific types of worms to convert organic waste into high-quality compost. While there was initial hesitation, the results in crop yields won them over.
“It’s really cool to see those kinds of changes, and ideally, these interventions become owned by the community,” she said.
To further Chaka’s vision of a genuine connection with the farming community, and women farmers in particular, the company has designed a training program based on community needs to address environmental challenges, especially climate change.
“We want farmers to be better prepared, not just for our business but for their own resilience.” Tsehaye said.
To ensure stable production, the training focuses on areas such as climate-smart agroforestry to help farmers adapt to changing rainfall patterns, drought conditions, and unpredictable seasonal variations.
These training courses are essential not only for improving product quality but also for ensuring long-term sustainability for both farmers and businesses.
However, being a pioneer comes with significant weight. Tsehaye is currently navigating the “critical juncture” of scaling her vision. Ethiopia’s wild-harvested model is sustainable, but it makes finding large quantities of raw materials difficult. For Tsehaye, the challenge is growing the business without losing the soul of the work.
Yonas Chebude, the Associate Professor of Chemistry and one of pioneers in the production of perfume oils in Ethiopia, said that one of the problems for the nascent industry was sourcing raw materials. However, as Tsehaye has her own sources and relationships with farmers, they supply her with the raw materials. She knows their source and can trace them back to where they came from. “That’s a very good strategy,” Chebude said.
She isn’t interested in being the only player in this space, however. Instead, Tsehaye hopes to inspire a new generation of African entrepreneurs to bridge the gap between social impact and commercial success.
“We’re still exploring,” she said of plans to look beyond Ethiopia’s borders. “But the goal is to build something that’s good for the planet, good for farmers, and good for business.”
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