ABOUT US
Our Story
Founded by Parisian-born Marie d’Arenberg, Boa Gente began in Inhambane, Mozambique, in 2010 with a simple idea: to transform local resources into pure, high-quality natural products while creating dignified livelihoods within the community.
From that vision — and from experimental beginnings — grew a well-rooted, women-led social enterprise producing cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, raw honey, balms, and soaps, all handcrafted in small batches from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Boa Gente was born from the belief that sustainability, beauty, and community care can coexist — that rural production can meet world-class standards without losing its soul. What started as a cottage initiative has become a model for ethical, small-scale entrepreneurship.
Vision
To nurture a world where communities and nature thrive together — where every product is a source of health, beauty, and care.
Boa Gente envisions a future in which natural, ethical, and locally made products reconnect people with the healing power of the Earth, proving that sustainability and quality can flourish hand in hand.
Mission
Our mission is to create products that have a positive impact on everyone involved in the Boa Gente chain:
By cherishing the nature within which we carry out our activities,
By creating a regular and fair source of income for the neighboring farming families who supply us,
By offering dignified employment to our workers,
And by providing products that bring well-being to our customers who use them!
Our Values
Our production is low-tech, small-scale, labor-intensive, and community-rooted — a deliberate choice that ensures freshness, traceability, and exceptional quality, while keeping operations light on the environment and resilient through crises such as technical failures, pandemics, cyclones, or political unrest.
By adding as much value as possible at the source, Boa Gente helps rural communities capture a fairer share of the economic value chain. This approach strengthens local autonomy and compensates for the absence of industrial economies of scale — showing that true sustainability lies in distributed, human-centered production.
At the same time, Boa Gente uses creativity as a tool for transformation, encouraging local people to see everyday materials — from coconuts to reused glass — not as waste, but as potential. By changing perceptions of value, we help communities turn what is near and familiar into beauty, income, culture, and pride.
At Boa Gente, ethics and excellence go hand in hand.
Our focus is not only on empowering communities and protecting nature, but also on delivering products of the highest quality.
We believe that true responsibility includes honoring the gifts of the Earth — treating them with the same respect in how we craft, present, and share them.
That’s why we put great care into our branding and packaging, using thoughtful, sustainable design to reflect the purity and dignity of what nature provides.
Visit Us
We invite you to experience the world of Boa Gente at our cottage factory in Machavenga, Inhambane, a dozen kilometers from the popular beaches of Tofo and Barra.
Join a guided tour to see how our products are made — from freshly opened coconuts to the final jar — and discover how simplicity and craftsmanship come together to produce world-class natural quality.
Afterwards, relax with a view of the bay at the Boa Gente Café, where you can enjoy healthy homemade coconut pies, ice cream, natural juices, and coconut water, and visit our on-site shop to explore our full range of local products and crafts.