\u201cThe idea is to create natural Australian skincare from natural ingredients and connect people back to the land they live on, themselves and each other,\u201d says Bocarro.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Mango Project currently stocks two products, a facial moisturiser and a body oil, which are jam-packed with ingredients whose names you can actually pronounce. But the hero is mango oil, which is extracted from the mango kernel and contains skin-loving vitamins A, C and E, as well as omegas and stearic acid.<\/p>\n
The idea to use oil from second-grade mangoes came to Bocarro and Sullivan after Bocarro returned from the Stanford International Honors Program<\/a>, which she attended while studying a commerce degree<\/a> in marketing and advertising.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe program was one of the best parts of my degree and it played a big part in what started The Mango Project. To be surrounded by so many inspiring people \u2026 I came back all fired up and wanting to start a business that made a difference,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI caught up with Janelle, who told me about her family\u2019s mango plantation in Carnarvon and how many mangoes go to waste, and it started from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary and Janelle met at Curtin and were friends before they became business partners.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sullivan says that 60% of an annual mango harvest can end up in landfill rather than in packing crates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a number of reasons why mangoes might not make the grade for supermarkets,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the main things is sunburn, which starts off as a red blush on the mango\u2019s skin but can end up as a black spot about the size of a 50-cent piece.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother thing is tiny marks on the fruit caused by rain and wind. But all these things are only skin deep \u2013 the mango itself is fine to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sweet plan is hatched<\/h2>\n
With an obvious problem and the drive to solve it, in 2019 the two women brought 300 kg of mangoes from Carnarvon to Perth, before painstakingly extracting oil from every kernel, only to end up with a tiny amount of oil and a very sticky house.<\/p>\n
They now source their mango oil from India, as there are no seed processing facilities in Australia, yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a lot of research into mango plantations in India, and chose suppliers that aligned with our values and needs,\u201d says Bocarro.<\/p>\n
\u201cA long-term goal for the business is to start Australia\u2019s first mango-oil processing plant here in WA.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the oil comes from India, the products are made in Queensland and are designed and packaged in their living rooms in Perth (Sullivan says she has very patient housemates).<\/p>\n
Edible education<\/h2>\n
In addition to repurposing 100% of second-grade mangoes from their supplier in India, Sullivan has been educating people about fruit quality in WA. Before COVID-19 hit, she sold her family\u2019s second-grade mangoes at farmers markets in Perth and regional cities like Albany and Bunbury, to show that while the fruit may not look perfect, it\u2019s perfectly edible.<\/p>\n
This mango has sunburned skin but the fruit inside is still good to eat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had customers come back to the markets asking for more, which is great, because as a farmer you often only get negative feedback about your fruit being rejected. So it\u2019s rewarding to see that many people actually don\u2019t care what fruit looks like on the outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough consumer education, we\u2019ve prevented 15,000 mangoes from being wasted.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bocarro and Sullivan join a growing list of Curtin alumni who\u2019ve started businesses that transform waste into new products. Fashion Design grad Kate Hannah upcycles old clothes through her brand P\u2019JUNK<\/a>, and Food Science and Technology grads Anthea Rodoreda and Andrew Tilly produce Gelavo<\/a>, a dairy-free ice-cream made from second-grade avocadoes.<\/p>\n
At their core, these enterprises aim to raise awareness about the impact of our consumption on the environment, communities and our collective futures.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see what\u2019s happening in the world with climate change and the amount of waste produced, it\u2019s become crucial for people to take a more sustainable approach to consumption,\u201d reflects Bocarro.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cEspecially when it comes to cosmetics and fashion. People are starting to really think about the wider effects of their purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early fruits of labour<\/h2>\n
Launching skincare products into a saturated cosmetics market may seem risky, but Bocarro and Sullivan have honed their business skills through their Curtin studies and activities. As well as being selected for the Stanford program, Bocarro was involved in student-run entrepreneurial clubs and even launched the Women in Business club.<\/p>\n
Janelle working on her parent’s mango plantation in Carnarvon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sullivan graduated with a Communications<\/a> degree in 2019 and is now studying a Master of International Business and Entrepreneurship<\/a>, where some of her course coordinators have matched the curriculum to The Mango Project.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery unit I\u2019ve done has been relevant to the business. I did a digital marketing intensive unit over the summer and learned about all the things on our website that we were doing wrong!<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve found the content incredibly valuable, because I\u2019m learning it alongside doing it in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both women say that what brought their idea to fruition was \u201cjust doing it\u201d, and remaining resilient through setbacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething I learned at Stanford was \u2018fail often to succeed sooner\u2019. You\u2019ll make mistakes but you\u2019ll learn from them and move on,\u201d advises Bocarro.<\/p>\n
The Mango Project only launched in December last year, but the two entrepreneurs are already building a loyal customer following.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing our first orders go through really made me feel like what we were doing was a good idea, and it wasn\u2019t just us who thought so!\u201d says Bocarro.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cTo get feedback that our products work and to get return customers has been really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking with farmers in India who say that this is something they\u2019ve always wanted to do, and are inspired by us, has been very empowering,\u201d adds Sullivan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make an impact, and thought I could help make a difference to the environment, but I didn\u2019t imagine how I would make an impact on other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mary-and-Janelle-792x420.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sunburned-mango-792x420.jpg\")
![\"Janelle](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Janelle-on-Carnavon-planation-792x420.jpg\")