The SME Story: Emanuel Brendarou, founder and CEO of Terrasuya

You have a background in consulting at Bain and also fashion. How did that lead to Terrasuya?
I found the perfect intersection between the two things I enjoy: being part of building a company that works as a positive force in our communities, whilst also creating elegant everyday accessories and making these accessible to everyone. I felt like the timing was right after years of advising in the region and finally decided to make the jump.

There are plenty of jewellery and accessory brands in the market. Why did you decide to start another?
That’s right, there are many different brands out there. But there’s always room to introduce new ideas in a different and better way. With Terrasuya, we strive to build a GCC native brand that incorporates cultural elements into the company DNA. On top of this, we still see a window to design and sell elegant accessories in an affordable segment. To date, brands in the GCC are predominantly international, of which many are focusing on the higher price ranges.

What are some of the core collections at Terrasuya?
Our core collection combines earrings, bracelets and necklaces handcrafted in gold vermeil. Most pieces have been designed with a minimalistic orientation. As we grow, we’re looking to introduce more bold pieces, incorporating local elements and inspiration from our surroundings. I think this will become more evident with our next collection – which will be pearl oriented. We’re very excited about that launch later this year.

What is your approach to sustainability?
We look at sustainability across different layers, with the product at the core. This is where we’re currently focusing, by designing quality products that last longer, while also trying to promote a quality-oriented mindset rather than constantly pushing volume through discounts. To us, real sustainability starts with addressing product lifetime and the way we “consume”. Further to this, we only work with selected production partners based on local certifications that require compliance to high sustainability standards. However, we’re still a young brand, and at this scale, it’s very hard to control every step of the value chain.

What is the size of your operations at the moment?
We’re still just at the beginning of our journey, with the brand being introduced in early 2021. Our focus is to provide the best customer experience in the GCC. We offer free delivery in the UAE and Saudi Arabia today, with same-day delivery in Dubai. As we grow, we’ll be eyeing new markets outside of the region as well – we already see traction in some of the larger European markets. Today we mostly sell through online channels – mainly our website – but we’re also looking into expanding offline via retail partners in the GCC.

What are some of the main challenges you are facing when trying to scale Terrasuya?
Finding new ways to reach customers at a lower cost is one of the main challenges for any online oriented business today. In the last decade, we’ve seen many success stories that rode the wave of influencers and/or various digital marketing channels. Many of these channels have now become saturated, with prices increasing significantly, accelerated even further by the coronavirus [pandemic]. We’re working towards a five-year roadmap – with the ambition to grow Terrasuya into a global brand.