Black Owned Brand Promotes non-toxic Cleaning Products

According to Statistica, the natural household cleaners market in the United States was valued at about 991 million U.S. dollars. Of all of the brands that are a part of this market, very little are Black owned companies. We had the opportunity to interview the owners of Derx, a company breaking barriers and making a name for themselves in the natural cleaning product space.

The Pearsons started Derx in 2020, but Mrs. Pearson has had experience cleaning homes for over 30 years. A lot of her ideas for the product came from generational cleaning techniques passed down from her family. Last year there were very few products without harsh ingredients on local shelves. So, they began to create their own product for their kids as well. They thought of all the harmful irritants that our children are subjected to and wanted to change that. Derx is a brand that is family-friendly that all communities can use because they consider you like family. Derx’s limited ingredients use a holistic approach with essential oils that makes everyday cleaning safe for adults and our little ones. Derx is a legacy brand that promotes simple ingredients that are not harmful to our youth.

•Tell us about yourself.

Nukeyia: My name is Nukeyia Pearson. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which has a Black population of 38 percent, and 24.4 percent of Black people living in poverty. Both of my parents were entrepreneurs; my dad owned a local grocery store and my mother was a real estate property owner. My parents always instilled in us entrepreneurship; in the summers my mother would have us sell ice-pops to the local kids in the community and we would use that money towards school supplies. While my mother had a real estate company, she showed me how to flip homes and I also helped with the administrative side of things. I have 3 siblings and 7 nephews. As an adolescent, we moved to Minnesota, where I went to junior high and high school. I currently live in the Twin Cities where I went to Century College to obtain a degree in Human Services. After being a single mom for a couple of years I met my husband; he was working in the information technology field and also previously had a retail store. My husband and I married in Minnesota, we combined our skills; I executed the product and he handled the business side. We have two children, a girl, and a boy. We wanted the entire family involved; so the product is named after my son and my husband, and my son is the logo. He assisted with picking out the image. My daughter helps with production; we have been teaching her the business side of things. This is truly a Black-owned family brand.

•Who do you feel is your target customer?

Nukeyia: I hope to supply everyone in the United States with the option to have an all-natural cleaning product. But my targeted audience is families.

•What do you define as success?

Nukeyia: The way I define success is a quote by Maya Angelou. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

•What was the inspiration behind your brand?

Nukeyia: My children were the inspiration behind my brand. I wanted to create a product that I felt was safe for them to use. I also wanted to inspire my kids to want to use it. They want to clean up when they see the product.

•How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Nukeyia: Derx stands out not only for what we represent, but we are the only Black-owned wipes company that uses all-natural ingredients. We have a variety of scents as opposed to our competitors.

•Who is your business role model?

Nukeyia: Master P. because he has multiple successful and thriving businesses, over decades, maintained ownership, was self-made, and always gave back to his community from the beginning.

•What do you have planned for your brand in the next six months?

Nukeyia: I want Derx in local stores like Walmart and expand the team by hiring in the community and growing our product line.

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