The Meizongo’s Ghanaian fragrance conglomerate
According to a report by Statista, In Ghana, the revenue generated in the Fragrances market amounts to US$527.70m and is expected that this market will experience an annual growth rate of 0.88%. This accounts to rapid growth of modern perfumery trends within a decade.
Maison Yusif (formerly WHAT YOU WANT) is one of the fragrance conglomerates that majorly contributes to Ghana’s economy. According to Wikipedia, the company offers 20 fragrances made from indigenous plants. Yusif Meizongo, the founder of the company started it from the trunk of his car in 2017 and now owns multiple stores across Ghana.
In an interview with AmeyawDebrah, Meizongo said:
‘We are more into pure undiluted perfume oils because they rationally last longer than the alcohol-based fragrance, that’s if it is original. What You Want is a worldwide brand with reps in South Africa, America, London Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Togo, etc so it is not just in Ghana.’ – (As of 2024, Maison Yusif now produces alcohol perfumes)
With the advancement of technologies and it’s implementations, Online shopping has become common these days and Maison Yusif tends to incorporate such a system within their company. According to a survey done, 40% of the fragrances sold were bought online via Maison Yusif’s website.
Giving an interview to BBC News, Yusif Meizongo confirmed that they use local materials to manufacture perfumes.
According to a report by 6Wresearch, The perfumes and perfumery products market in Ghana has been growing steadily over the last few years, driven by rising disposable incomes and increasing demand from young people.
With limited domestic production capacities, most of these products are imported from other countries, primarily France and Italy. The market is dominated by international brands such as Dior, Chanel, Lancome and Estee Lauder however local brands such as Maison Yusif have started to gain much traction with their attractive price points and quality of product.
For 3 years, Maison Yusif has been the go-to brand for consumers overall especially in Ghana’s online as well as offline retail. This also contributes to the fact to promote local brands manufacturing products with indigenous material. Rather than increasing the import of raw, Maison Yusif is focused on exporting products.