“I remember being in fashion school and noticing my hair was falling out. My mother always told me to pray, and somewhere in those moments of praying, I started playing with ingredients — and that’s really how everything began.”
Stacy Irving is the CEO of Shandina Organic. Her Jamaican roots inspired an organic wellness brand focused on haircare, skincare, and other holistic products. Irving describes her brand as “more than a product line; we are a lifestyle brand that promotes self-care and confidence through the power of natural ingredients.”
She was able to accomplish this with the help of the ILEO Storefront Starter program, an initiative designed to help local entrepreneurs test, launch, and grow their businesses.
The program supports residents of the Golden Mile community, providing the skills and structure needed to turn an idea into something bigger. Established in 2018, the Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity Initiative (ILEO) brings together private, public, and community-sector partners to address economic disparities within neighbourhoods. The initiative is jointly convened by United Way Greater Toronto and BMO Financial Group.
Irving’s idea began over ten years ago while she was working as a kindergarten teacher and attending fashion school. Concerned about her hair health, she spoke to her mother and started experimenting with ingredients in her free time, creating her first product — Kapoor Butter. After testing it on herself and seeing positive results, she took a leap of faith and began selling her hair oil online. However, limited time and funding made it difficult to promote her business, leaving her feeling stuck.
Everything changed when a friend told her about the Storefront Starter program. “I just applied, and when I got in, I was thrilled. The funding allowed me to do more pop-ups, expand marketing, and reach a larger audience,” she said. The program provided mentorship, workshops, funding, marketing support, community exposure, and storefront access.
With this support, Irving was able to quit her job a year and a half ago and dedicate herself full-time to her business. What began as a single hair oil has grown into a line of over 50 holistic products designed to nurture beauty from the inside out. Though her physical storefront has closed, she continues to sell products online and at pop-ups across the city.
Irving credits the program with giving her both professional guidance and personal confidence. “They went above and beyond in empowering you and making sure you could get where you wanted to go. That was the most valuable part for me,” she said. She adds that the program opened doors she hadn’t been able to access on her own, helping her grow as both an entrepreneur and a person.
Irving’s mission extends beyond business success. “I just want to help empower women through my haircare and skincare products, giving them back the confidence they may have lost,” she said. Each challenge has been a lesson learned, and she believes that every step forward is an opportunity to grow.
You can catch Irving on her website or at the Shandina Organic pop-up, Downtown at The Well, running through December 28th. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance, mentorship, and believing in your own vision.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between Centennial College journalism students and United Way Greater Toronto.
