Rubens Amedee and Dr. Freddie Amedee-Benjamin are the owners of Papa Rozier Farms and the line of beauty products of the same name. Freddie is a chiropractor by profession, who ran her own practice prior to founding the company, and Rubens had a successful career in sales and trading on Wall Street.
When the 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti, Rubens and Freddie knew they had to return home to help their people. The Papa Rozier farm— 50 acres of lush farmland nested on top of a mountain in Southwest Haiti— was left behind by Rubens’ and Freddie’s grandfather, Rozier Bosse AKA Papa Rozier.
Their vision for a new Haiti would center around this fertile farmland.
They first attempted to partner with NGOs, but found themselves unimpressed with their approach. Determined to keep their promise to help, Rubens and Freddie started their own grassroots fundraising. Through fundraisers such as a Sponsor a Tree campaign, a Tough Mudder event, and a Spartan Race, the siblings’ vision for a new Haiti started to take shape.
They created blueprints for the farm and a school, and began planting the first trees. Soon, their plans for Papa Rozier Farms and the the BATI school had come to fruition. Situated on five of the 50 acres of farmland, the BATI School is a non-profit organization providing free, localized education for K-12 students through a sustainable farm-funded financial design.
“There would be no Papa Rozier Farms without BATI School,” Rubens said to Travel Noire. “Our line of beauty products was created to relieve ourselves of the dependency of generous donors when we were first building our school. Early on we realized that in order for us to be self-sufficient we had to create a self-sustainable education model.”
The brother and sister duo organically grow castor and moringa seeds on their farm. The seeds are then pressed to make the pure oil that is used as a base for all of their products. Their grounds house a bee farm, as well, where they harvest the honey and beeswax also used as ingredients in their products.
Papa Rozier offers a range of natural organic beauty products for hair and skin designed to help you stay beautiful naturally. Rubens says it was important for their company to hand-make all their products using natural ingredients grown on their farm.
“We wanted to build a solid infrastructure by controlling the full value chain of product production, from farming to harvesting to processing to distribution to retail. Also, we believe people should avoid putting any ingredient on their skin or in their body that they don’t easily recognize.”
“Utilizing only pure and natural ingredients in our beauty products allows our customers to get the results they are looking for without the unwanted side effects you commonly get when using chemicals.”
In addition to their regular cold-pressed Haitian castor and moringa oil, which are also available in scented varieties or as a blend, the company produces other specialty oils, such as vetiver oil, nail and cuticle oil, and beard and mustache oil.
They also offer eyelash and brow growth serum, scalp serum, foot and callus salve, body cream, lip balm, vapor rub, massage balm, conditioner, and various other natural products. Their top three customer favorites, says Rubens, are the 50/50 Castor & Moringa Blend, the Eyelash & Brow Growth Serum, and their lotion bars.
Every purchase made from Papa Rozier Farms directly funds the BATI School and its surrounding communities. The company aims to provide long-term economic development and sustainable change. Investing in education, agriculture, and community are just some ways Papa Rozier is working to accomplish its goal.
“Today we call it the “Farm-Funded Education” model. Our hope is that this can be replicated in the Caribbean and throughout Africa where natural resources are plentiful.”
For more information on Papa Rozier Farms, visit PapaRozierFarms.com and follow @paparozierfarms.
Related: 10 Haitian-Owned Beauty And Wellness Brands To Support
