Two Decades of Freshness iwi fresh’s Legacy Continues
Apr 01, 2025 06:00AM ● By Trish Ahjel Roberts
Yolanda Owens and Maya Johnson
In 2005, the late Yolanda Owens, affectionately known as “Yogi,” turned her passion for natural skincare into a company, iwi fresh, crafting natural products in her family kitchen with recipes she learned from her grandmother, Cosetta Blackmon. Five years later, she opened her first brick-and-mortar location—a day spa in Castleberry Hill, offering massage, facials and nailcare in a lush environment brimming with fresh green plants and daylight.
Owens’ initial interest in healing was rooted in her own struggle with eczema. Her grandmother mailed her snippets of roots and plants, which healed her and inspired her to learn ancestral recipes and do some research on her own. She started by developing skin care products made from locally grown produce. Her first product, 14 Carrot Glow Face Cream, is still a customer favorite after 20 years.
Owens coined the word “iwi” for her new business’ brand name; it stands for "it is what it is" and honors the fact that her products contain only simple, natural ingredients. The name caught on, and before her passing in January 2023, iwi fresh had struck a distribution deal with the coveted Whole Foods Market.
Iwi fresh sources its ingredients from local providers, including Truly Living Well Farms, Oyun Botanical Gardens, Patchwork City Farms and Kendall Rae Johnson, who was mentored by Owens and who, at nine years old, is known as America’s youngest certified farmer. Celebrities such as Kelly Rowland, Gabrielle Union and Rosario Dawson have all been fans of the product line. The company is also known for its community events, such as its annual Green Party and business outreach ventures, including a recent wellness program with Delta Airlines.
Owens’ daughter, Maya Johnson, remembers the day her mother picked her up from school and asked her, “What if mommy was home more?” Owens had gotten laid off from her job, and she was making some life-changing decisions. “She literally turned her garage into a whole manufacturing [plant],” says Johnson, who is now a master cosmetologist. No longer a computer engineer for IBM, Home Depot, SunTrust and other major firms, Owens decided to become a wellness entrepreneur and took classes in aesthetics and nutrition.
It’s the Whole Vibe
Berlinda Lauture
Long-time customer Berlinda Lauture says the 14 Carrot Glow Face Cream is her favorite product. “It really glows your face.” On her first visit to iwi fresh in 2014, she says, “I had never seen anything like it before. All of the greenery, the music playing, the vibe, the ambiance—it was just very peaceful and welcoming.” Her favorite service was the veggie facials. “They would [use] products on my face that were not harmful to my body … It was just a wonderful experience.”
Michelle Smith has been an iwi fresh customer from its inception. “I was there from the beginning, when Owens started [the company] in her kitchen, in her home.” Owens would hold open houses and allow people to come in and shop. “I called myself the Brown Sugar Girl,” says Smith, “because I loved the brown sugar scrub, and I could sell it. So, I was a client and also a brand ambassador when she worked out of her home.” Over the years, Smith has tried all the iwi fresh products, but the Lettuce Face It Hydration Mist and Squash It Out Face Cleanser are her favorites.
At the end of an especially difficult workday, Smith drove straight to iwi fresh, where Owens told her, “Come. Talk to me in my office.” By her “office,” Owens meant her jeep, which was parked on the sidewalk out front. “We got in the jeep,” says Smith, “and we journaled.” Owens listened and gave Smith some helpful advice. “She was telling me: Just stay right where you are. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.”
“We all have fruit and vegetable names on the team,” says Johnson, “so anybody who joins the team picks out their own … name. So [Owens] was ‘Carrot.’ And I’m ‘Kiwi.’”
Resilient Then and Now
Iwi fresh was—and continues to be—resilient. In 2020, the global pandemic hit just as Owens opened the company’s second location in Jonesboro. It was not an easy time for any retail company. “Social distancing” was mandatory, many services were suspended and products had to be delivered safely to customers. Yet iwi fresh was able to stay afloat.
Johnson is planning to close the Jonesboro location in order to become a mobile-only service provider with a focus on corporate and community events. The company will continue to offer products and services that customers love. Johnson explains, “We’re gonna always pivot,” says Johnson. “We’re always gonna restructure and figure out something else that will keep us moving forward.”
“I’m super proud of Maya for making everything her own, following her mother’s vision and dreams, and doing what her mother wanted her to do,” says Smith.
Johnson has more plans for the business in the years ahead. After the transition to a mobile-only business, she is looking into developing a lip care line and then, possibly, franchising. “My mom had started [franchising] before, and … she never got to finish it.”
Owen’s Legacy Continues
Iwi fresh’s annual Green Party is planned for June, although the location has not yet been announced. “The Green Parties were the highlight of the year,” says Lauture. “They had a billion different vendors [and] Black businesses coming to sell their products.” In previous years, the festivities included food, music and even some aerial artists. This year, plans include a birthday celebration to honor Owens’ birthday and a new offering of signature products. ❧
Learn more about upcoming events, opportunities and products at iwifresh.com.
Trish Ahjel Roberts is the founder of the Mind-Blowing Happiness® personal and professional development company and the author of four books, including her latest, The Anger Myth: Understanding and Overcoming the Mental Habits That Steal Your Joy. Learn more at TrishAhjelRoberts.com.
