ARTS & CRAFTS
 

The founder of Queen of Sheba, Nardos Abebe Yauney, was born and raised in the small town of Nazreth, Ethiopia. From a young age she had an interest in business and dreamed of one day opening her own. Her first working experiences were in restaurants in Ethiopia. Although she was able to see and learn how a business operates, her dream of opening her own still seemed very far away.  As a young adult she moved to Washington, DC where she had her first opportunity to learn a different language and culture. She was also able to observe how businesses operate in a different environment.  When she returned to Africa a few years later, she finally got her opportunity to open her own business, first importing cosmetic products to Ethiopia and later producing shea butter hair and skin care products in Uganda. Operating a business in Africa exposed her to the challenges business people often face when trying to export their products from Africa to developed countries, while at the same time recognizing the potential of African goods to be sold on the international market. She understood that challenges often center around navigating the regulatory requirements and meeting product and packaging quality standards demanded by international buyers. Queen of Sheba seeks to bridge this gap and assist both African producers and sellers by helping them to understand the market demands and to produce quality products for export, and to help buyers identify producers of goods that meet their requirements. By linking these two groups, she hopes to bring new and innovative products to consumers in the international marketplace and help African businesses realize success by sharing their products with new customers and markets.