From Chemistry to Community: The Rise of D Chem Group Under Nomandla Ngcoya
From Chemistry to Community: The Rise of D Chem Group Under Nomandla Ngcoya. When Nomandla Ngcoya set out to improve societal cleanliness and health, she began in the classroom, not a boardroom. As a PhD candidate in medicinal chemistry, she watched families in her rural community rely on a single bar of soap for everything, from washing dishes to bathing. This sparked a vision to provide safe, affordable, and tailored cleaning solutions. That vision laid the groundwork for D Chem Group, now a thriving chemical manufacturer under her leadership.
A Vision Born from Early Observations
In 2016, while working as a lab demonstrator at UKZN, Nomandla used her earnings to produce her first experimental batch of dishwashing liquid. A year later, she formally registered D Chem Group in April 2017. That first product, born of research, passion, and a rural childhood, was not just another detergent. It was a step toward changing how chemicals could serve everyday South Africans.
Milestones That Marked Growth
- 2017 – Official Launch: D Chem Group is established, rooted in Nomandla’s chemistry expertise and social mission.
- Product Line Expansion: The company launched with detergents, later adding perfumes, body care, hair care products, and traditional medicine capsules with anti-diabetic properties.
- Production Breakthrough: In April 2021, D Chem opened a factory in Pietermaritzburg capable of producing 10,000 litres a day, a turning point for scale.
- Strategic Partnerships: Anderson Engineering supported D Chem with technical expertise and equipment upgrades, enabling better production stability and efficiency.
- Accolades & Expansion: Nomandla was named in Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans (Science & Technology) in 2016, became a finalist in KZN’s Inkunzi Isematholeni competition, and won the Youth Exporter Award. The business also expanded into retail, including an Edendale Mall shop and e-commerce on Makro and Takealot.
Turning Challenges into Chemistry
Vertical integration, going from research to production, has had its hurdles. Balancing a PhD and a growing enterprise tested Nomandla’s resolve. Yet she turned her academic discipline into business rigor, controlling every ingredient and aspect of quality. Resource limitations prompted creative solutions: starting with small funding, she used grant funding for barcodes, equipment, and product trials.
Lessons from the Lab to the Factory Floor
1. Start with knowledge, not capital
Refine your product through deep expertise, then build around it.
2. Grow through problem solving, not marketing spin
Solve concrete needs, like safe cleaning solutions and your business becomes essential.
3. Leverage partnerships to scale faster
Technical collaboration with Anderson Engineering turbocharged production capabilities.
4. Let credentials amplify credibility
Awards and scientific background attract trust and open doors.
5. Diversify with discipline
Move from detergents to body care, cosmetics, and even traditional medicine, carefully, not chaotically.
6. Begin small, dream big
A PhD stipend funded the first product; today the company manufactures at industrial scale.
What’s Next for D Chem Group
Nomandla envisions D Chem Group becoming Africa’s leading chemical manufacturer. With scalable production, diverse product lines, and export-minded strategies, she is building toward that future, while making essential products for homes across the continent. Her journey from lab to factory shows that world-class enterprise begins with solving local problems in disciplined, passionate ways.
