Arimis, a petroleum jelly originally meant for milking, has, over the years, grown into a household skincare product, stocked heavily in supermarkets, both in rural and urban centres.
The product, whose popularity has been organic, with minimal or no advertising, has been embraced by both men and women.
In July 2019, communications expert Mariga Thoithi commended Arimi’s for effortless brand acceptance.
“Arimis is an interesting example of the evolution of products. How milking jelly turned into people’s choice petroleum jelly without advertising or intention. It’s now stocked by all major supermarkets with the same milking jelly branding,” he said.
Origin of Arimis
However, did you know where the name Arimis came from?
The name was coined from the Ameru language, “arimi”, which refers to farmers.
Its founder, Hanish Shah once said he conceived the idea after witnessing the difficulties small scale farmers were going through while milking their cows.
It was first produced in 1983 in the now Meru-county.
In 1985, the product got to Nairobi and was later spread to other parts of the country.
For over 30 decades, Arimis has been a Kenyan farmer’s trusted companion especially after dairy farming became a commonplace occupation for many.
The milking jelly was originally purposed to be used by farmers, but over the years, Kenyans spotted a cool skincare agent in it.
However, customers use it for skincare given it is made from raw materials believed to be safe for the skin.
The product has not been rivalled for the years it has been in the market until recently when Menengai, a Nakuru-based edible oils manufacturer, came up with its own version.
Arimis is manufactured by the Mombasa Road-based Tri-Clover Industries.
As reported earlier, the company shot down claims that it was changing the look of the product.
Taking to its official Facebook page, Arimis Kenya said the circulated photos were a suggestion by a random Kenyan who would like to have the company buy into it.
“We are not rebranding. To all our esteemed customers and users of our products, we’re not rebranding, the circulating brand is just someone’s suggestion. We stick to our initial brands! Otherwise enjoy the greatness of your skincare,” the company said.
