When sisters Cory Dahlia Varona Corniel and Nicol Varona Cancelmo were growing up in the Dominican Republic, they were taught that their natural curly hair was considered messy and unprofessional. It wasn’t until they moved to the United States that they learned to truly embrace their natural beauty and curls. Today, the sisters — both Penn State graduates who attended the Berks campus — are entrepreneurs, or “sister-preneurs,” who have launched DN Organics, a natural hair care line created to empower women.
The company officially launched on March 8, 2021, and it is already off to a great start. Their leave-in treatment product and styling gel are currently sold on their website, with their full product line slated to come out by the end of the year. Their products are also available for purchase at both the Bell Tower Salon Spa in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and Curl Hair and Wellness in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
“DN Organics’ products are vegan, cruelty-free, and free of phthalates, phenoxyethanol, PEGs, DEA, formaldehyde and synthetic fragrances,” stated Cancelmo.
“We’re excited to educate the community and our customers about clean beauty,” added Cancelmo, adding that in the past, it has been difficult for members of the Latino community, in particular, to embrace curly hair and natural beauty due to societal norms.
In addition to technical knowledge, networking was a must. The “sister-preneurs” made use of the Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State, Penn State Berks’ innovation hub located in downtown Reading. There, DN Organics became one of the LaunchBox’s co-working companies, using space in the facility and equipment free-of-charge. They also had an opportunity to work with LaunchBox staff members, attend workshops and events, and print product stickers.
Through the Berks LaunchBox, they also received one of five “Grow Your Startup Grants.” The grant helped them to connect with ‘talent partners’ to assist them with taking the next step forward. DN Organics used their grant money to add an online shopping module to their website and for search engine optimization. “Grow Your Startup Grants” are funded by The Marlin and Ginger Miller Educational Endowment for Education, Innovation and Design Thinking made to the Berks LaunchBox.
“The Berks LaunchBox was a great resource. It helped us to find grant opportunities and resources and to identify mentors,” stated Corniel. “We met people who were starting companies at co-working events and had an opportunity to give a virtual pitch for our product.”
The sisters credit both the Berks LaunchBox and Penn State Berks with their success. “At Penn State Berks, we learned so much about marketing, what it takes to create a company, networking, and support systems,” explained Cancelmo. “Penn State Berks brought students together through organizations like Latinos United for Change. We felt like it was where we belonged.” Corniel adds that she took two entrepreneurship courses at Penn State Berks and remembers that one of her professors encouraged her to start her own business.
Read the full press release and visit their web site: https://dnorganics.com/!
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