Before there was a factory, before the designs, before the name, there was just Clara Nyawa Mwenda, a woman who loved plants and wanted to house them beautifully. In a world that rarely slows down, she found beauty in the stillness of green spaces. And from that love, Rustic Flowerpots was born, not just to fill a market gap, but to offer people something meaningful to grow with.
A Seed of Leadership
Born on July 4th in the mining town of Kitwe, Clara was raised in Ndola, on Zambia’s storied Copperbelt. From a young age, she was drawn to leadership. “I went to primary school in Ndola and part of my junior secondary school in Kabwe at Kabwe Adventist school, where I served as school head girl for 1 year,” she recalls. That experience was more than just a title, it was formative. “This played a great role in molding me into a leader and sparked my entrepreneurial journey.”
Clara would later complete her high school education in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, serving as a school prefect for two years. “My primary and secondary school education played a great role into sparking my leadership skills as well as broadening my mind to entrepreneurship,” she adds.
From Need to Vision
The journey into flowerpots didn’t begin in a boardroom or through a business class. It began, simply, with a need. “As a lover of plants I was looking for plant vessels that were meaningful and artistic, flowerpots that were beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, and unfortunately I couldn’t find any on the Zambian market.”
So Clara did what true entrepreneurs do, she didn’t just accept the lack. She turned it into opportunity. “This inspired me to make my own and start a company that manufactures flowerpots.”
That company would become Rustic Flowerpots and Planters Manufacturing Limited, a Lusaka-based business that creates eco-friendly, stylish, and porous plant vessels for gardening enthusiasts and garden centers. “We decided to fill in this gap by manufacturing pots that are affordable, porous, and stylish,” Clara says with purpose.
At the core of her company is a mission that goes beyond aesthetics. “Rustic Flowerpots and Planters Manufacturing Limited focuses on manufacturing eco-friendly flowerpots to help plant lovers understand the importance of sustainable gardening.”
With a team of seven, Clara is not only growing plants, she’s growing livelihoods.
Weathering the Storms
No great journey comes without its trials. For Clara, the path has been paved with challenges, from logistical hurdles to societal skepticism. “Some of the challenges I’ve faced are meeting product demand as well as access to finance,” she explains.
She reflects honestly on the tough beginnings: “One of the obstacles I’ve overcome is starting a business with little capital and learning to drive sales as well as overcoming ridicule from peers for starting a business that seemed unconventional.”
And it wasn’t just the skepticism or the money. It was the basic infrastructure. “Another obstacle I’ve had to overcome is finding a place to manufacture the pots, a location that is both accessible to our customers and also spacious enough for our manufacturing process and storage.”
But true to form, Clara turned every hardship into a lesson. “One of the lessons I’ve learned through these obstacles is start where you are with what you have and build from there,” she says firmly. “I’ve learned that it is possible to start a company with very little capital and grow from there as well as take consistent gradual steps towards growth.”
Staying Rooted While Reaching Forward
The business landscape is evolving, and Clara is not one to be left behind. “The business landscape has evolved significantly since I began and the shifts in consumer behavior as well as technological advances have been a great learning experience.”
Her response? Adapt and innovate. “Some of the strategies I use to stay ahead of the curve are constantly staying updated with the changing trends, leveraging on information and introduction of new designs that resonate with client preferences. And strengthening customer relationships.”
And there’s more on the horizon. Clara is taking Rustic Flowerpots into the digital age. “I’m excited about developing an augmented reality platform that enables our consumers to have a visual of what their flowerpots will look like in their home before purchase.”
This integration of tech and tradition is exactly the kind of forward thinking that makes her business not only relevant but future-ready.
Giving Back Through Green
Clara’s success hasn’t made her forget where she started, or who she’s serving. One of her proudest achievements is a project that combines sustainability with education. “Pioneering a project named ‘Embrace Sustainability with Rustic Flowerpots’… a project where we are donating 100+ of our handcrafted flowerpots and plants to primary school going children in local government schools to teach them the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability.”
It’s not just CSR, it’s a reflection of Clara’s values. Her business isn’t just about selling flowerpots. It’s about nurturing a greener, more mindful future.
Finding Strength in Sisterhood
Clara also draws strength from being part of a larger movement of women in business. “I am currently a member of the Zambia Federation of Associations of Women in Business, an association which brings together various women in business in Zambia to foster and nurture the next generation of women leaders.”
Through collaboration, mentorship, and shared experience, Clara is part of something bigger, building a foundation for future Zambian women entrepreneurs to stand on.
Words to Grow By
When asked what advice she has for others hoping to follow in her footsteps, Clara doesn’t hesitate: “Just start where you are with what you have, manage your finances, learn the basic skills of business, remain focused.”
And her biggest lesson from the entrepreneurial journey? “You must keep learning, constantly evaluate yourself and make your personal development your focus. Making my personal development a number one priority as an entrepreneur and leader has made me realize that it helps me make better decisions as well as remaining logical and single-minded.”
A Life in Full Bloom
Clara Nyawa Mwenda’s story is not just a business success story, it’s a human one. It’s about seeing beauty where others don’t, taking risks in the face of uncertainty, and choosing to bloom in her own way, on her own terms.
She has taken flowerpots, simple, everyday objects, and turned them into vessels of creativity, sustainability, and purpose. And in doing so, she has planted something far more enduring than plants.
She has planted hope.
