Graceful Earth’s first Business Pitch ends with a R10,000 Win.
For Graceful Earth Organic Skincare founder Lunathi Fudu, what started as an idea inspired by her family has grown into a developing skincare business, and most recently, a R10,000 third-prize win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber business pitch.
The achievement came on 23 September 2026, just nine months after Graceful Earth officially entered the market. It was also the first time Lunathi had entered a business pitch competition.
“Our first pitch, and we won,” Lunathi says. “I don't think it has sunk in yet, but it feels like we have given birth. We are onto the next phase.”
The story of Graceful Earth, however, started at home. When Lunathi's father was diagnosed with cancer, her family became more intentional about what they ate and what they put into their bodies. Her mother, Grace, already had a deep connection with plants, growing and natural remedies. With surplus natural ingredients available at home, the idea of turning some of them into skincare products began to take shape.
That family experience would eventually inspire Graceful Earth, a South African plant-based skincare and haircare brand named after Lunathi's mother.
Graceful Earth’s first Business Pitch ends with a R10,000 Win.
Turning the idea into an actual business was the next step. Lunathi participated in the NMU Business Accelerator Programme and, after spending three months developing the concept, decided in November 2025 that it was time to start. She gave herself just two weeks to prepare for her first market.
Not everything was ready. Her labels did not arrive in time, and she almost cancelled the market where Graceful Earth was supposed to make its debut. Instead, she decided to go ahead with what she had, and the business officially launched on 4 December 2025.
It was an early lesson that would become important in her entrepreneurial journey, sometimes you simply have to start.
By February 2026, Graceful Earth had been approved for an asset grant to assist with equipment and raw materials, helping the business move towards increasing its production capacity.
Since then, the brand has participated in markets and government exhibitions across Nelson Mandela Bay and recently began a trial with El Curro Pharmacy in Northcliff, Johannesburg.
Graceful Earth has also been nominated for a Beauty & Wellness Award through Next Generation Business Connect and has received exposure through SABC, radio, publications and collaborations.
Its development has been supported through programmes including the NMU Accelerator, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, T3 Living Lab and Propella Incubation Programme, alongside mentors who have helped Lunathi develop the business while remaining aligned with its original vision.
But the journey has also introduced her to the less glamorous side of entrepreneurship.
“For me, business is a spiritual journey,” Lunathi says. “It is a lot of work, and having purpose is vital. Otherwise, you lose steam.”
Learning the financial, administrative and operational sides of running a business has been just as important as developing the products themselves. Funding also remains a challenge, particularly when it comes to product testing, equipment and meeting some of the requirements needed to enter larger commercial markets.
That is why the R10,000 prize comes at an important point in Graceful Earth's journey. Beyond the money, the result has given Lunathi another indication that the business she started less than a year ago has potential to grow.
Today, Graceful Earth offers a range of handcrafted products, including body butters, scrubs, hair oils, hair butter, beard oil, bath soaks, soap bars, lip balms, cuticle oils and mosquito repellent.
But Lunathi doesn't want the business to be only about selling skincare products. Education is also important to the brand. She wants customers to understand what they are buying, what goes into the products and how they are made.
As they continue, Graceful Earth plans to continue expanding its product range, strengthening its systems and building partnerships that can help take the business into its next stage.
The bigger vision is to create spaces where people can share ideas, collaborate and find practical solutions by connecting natural resources, traditional knowledge, agriculture, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
For a business that almost did not make it to its first market because its labels were not ready, walking away with R10,000 from its first business pitch nine months later is a milestone worth celebrating.
There is still plenty of work ahead for Lunathi and Graceful Earth, but for now, as she puts it, they are “onto the next phase.”
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