Sabali turns love of natural living into a business

From as long as he can remember, Nickel Kendra ‘Sabali’ Sennett was always interested in natural living.

And even though he can’t pinpoint what exactly influenced his interest, he’s quite happy that he has made a business from his passion.

“I never see anything around me that made me want to live natural or something. I just grow with it, it’s just in my subconscious. When I get big, and I can manage my own movement and timing, I eventually live it out,” he said. “I still have the vision up to today, (now) I’m implementing it.”

The 31-year-old Old Harbour native told THE STAR that he started out with a wellness village in Innswood three years ago.

“One could come and get massage and lunches, because it had a restaurant attached to the village, and I keep culture shows every last Sunday,” he said

But he said the business encountered financial difficulties and he had to abandon it.

However, his love and his own conviction of the benefits of natural living caused him to press on. Last year, he decided to go start his own line of natural oils and soaps, Natural Imojah .

“I have coconut oil, castor oil, avocado, neem oil, hemp oil, cerasee oil, and different varieties of natural soaps. And different blends of herbs. I source them right in the area where I am. We have coconut trees in the area, I grow and drop off every day ... all of the trees in my environment, I just utilise them,” he said

Sabali said he makes his products himself by researching.

“I have the help of the Internet and other older experienced people around me. I get knowledge from them as well,” he said

He told THE STAR that most of his sales are made when he’s on the road. His stall can be found in Half-Way Tree on weekends from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Tropical Plaza. But he also exports to as far as Ethiopia.

“I get orders, like somebody in Ethiopia would want couple quarts, I would make it, and ship it to them. I send castor oil mostly, because you know Jamaican castor oil is a brand,” he said

And although he enjoys making money from his products, Sabali said his greatest pleasure comes from sharing what he knows about natural living to his customers.

“Just to have that one-on-one dialogue with others and impart the knowledge, that’s what I really love, just to know that I’m helping them to become aware,” he said.