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When Morongwe Mokone was living and studying in London, her roommate taught her how to make origami swan sculptures, which they would do to make extra money. Morongwe brought this skill home to South Africa, but she didn't know where or how to pursue it until she and her sister Michelle Mokone were invited to a local market, where they realised there was a market for their work. They then applied to participate in the market and won best product of that market, and the victory stoked their passion and inspired them to create the Mo's Crib business plan.

Mo's Crib was officially launched in 2016, with the goal of making beautiful, high-quality practical baskets and origami swan sculptures out of waste materials like banana tree bark and recycled PVC waterpipes collected from construction sites and landfills. Customers quickly became drawn to the brand because they were made of environmentally friendly materials and could function as planters or storage compartments.

Even with all of the difficulties they faced along the way—like having to make the products themselves for a long time because they couldn't afford employees, their car breaking down, and occasionally being on the verge of going out of business because they couldn't pay their bills—the sisters from Mabopane have managed to turn Mo's Crib from a modest beginning business into a global success. As of right now, they have more than a 100 team members working for them across three production sites, two distribution

centres, in South Africa, and another in the United states where they are able to distribute to the United States and Canada.

The company and its goods have expanded to the point where they are available not only in South Africa at Woolworths Home, @Home, and Mr. Price Home, but also abroad at Crate and Barrel and Target. Having expanded to Canada, Singapore, Dubai, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia, they have

gained global recognition with being featured by Oprah Winfrey as the best product, endorsed by Martha Stewart among other sources.

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