Ugandan children with beautifully polished shoes going to school

The company Ugabrush is the brainchild of Ugandan engineer and entrepreneur Enoch Muwanguzi. His product? Shoe brushes made with hair from… cow tails. Thanks to the advice of OVO coaches, his company made a successful restart. A team of college students helped him further on a good path.

Locally produced with local raw materials, cheaper than the competition and above all sustainable. That is how you could also describe Enoch’s shoe brushes. 

As is often the case, his idea was born from a problem. In Uganda, wearing a uniform along with well-maintained shoes is part of the customs and expectations. But most shoe brushes are made of plastic, which can scratch the leather. So Enoch wondered: why not use a softer material? Ugabrush was born.

A restart with OVO coaches

Here too, OVO fulfilled its objectives: to help shape and secure the future of their African colleagues through the expertise, enthusiasm, and creativity of Belgian entrepreneurs, using practical support. OVO coach Anne Guffens testifies: “In 2022 we organized a so-called Boost Camp, in which Enoch also participated. Such a camp is an intense, three-day training covering almost all aspects of entrepreneurship: drawing up a business and financial plan, leadership coaching, management, marketing, etc. At the end, the 14 participants had to pitch their idea to a jury and a winner was chosen. And the winner was… Enoch. After that, we formed a working group of about four OVO coaches to guide him (online) further. With success, I may say.” Today, Enoch and his team make 150 sustainable shoe brushes per day, depending on the supply of cow tails. One cow tail can make three brushes.

Students complete the work

To bring the cooperation to a successful conclusion, OVO organized an internship for some college students. For five weeks, they got to know the country, its people, and of course Enoch’s company. Their main goals were: increasing the supply of raw materials (especially cow tails), professionalizing bookkeeping and financial procedures, identifying new sales channels and partners, making the company profitable, and simplifying and improving the production process. Did they succeed? We gladly give them the final word: “We believe that the boundlessly ambitious Enoch, an entrepreneur at heart, can further grow Ugabrush—certainly thanks to the strengthened role of the current manager. This allows him to focus on new opportunities and contribute to the development of his community. We hope our work has been a valuable push in the direction of our and his goals: more raw materials, higher margins, and profitability.”

Article written by Marc Van de Velde