Smells fishy was founded by Marleen Wegdam, who grew up in the Netherlands and ran different businesses for many years.
“After going back and forth to Ghana for many times, I started closely observing my partner, who is heavily involved in the fish importing business in Ghana. I noticed that the top layer of this industry is mainly dominated by men and that all fish distributors are mostly women. From talking to them I found out that there was a strong desire to deal with the manufactures directly so I took the opportunity to shake things up, at that moment Smells Fishy was born. By supporting each other, we women can foster a sense of solidarity and empowerment. Women often face common challenges and biases in various aspects of life, supporting one another creates a collective strength that can help overcome these barriers and promote gender equality”