Oana Lita’s shift from Emirates cabin crew to co-founding a sustainable detergent brand is a tale of purposeful change. After spending over five years travelling the globe, Lita made a pivotal decision in 2020 to leave her stable career and pursue a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Amsterdam. Her goal was clear: to create a company that made a meaningful impact.
At 21, Lita joined Emirates, drawn by the opportunity to explore the world. However, by 2020, she was already looking towards entrepreneurship, specifically in startups with a social or environmental mission. “It was this drive for startups, especially those that are giving back,” Lita reflects. “I think it’s important to consider that Baya is a startup with an impact.” This vision became the foundation for Baya, a brand designed to address the pressing issues of environmental sustainability and consumer health.
The idea for Baya was born from personal frustration. Living in the UAE, Lita struggled to find safe, effective cleaning products, especially given her sensitive skin. Many detergents on the market were either heavily scented or lacked transparency in their ingredients. “When I was living in the UAE, there were no options when it came to safe formula detergents,” Lita explains. This frustration deepened as she noticed the dominance of single-use plastic bottles on store shelves, prompting her to take action. “It’s a matter of plastic pollution,” she says. “Consumers couldn’t choose alternative packaging options.”
Her time in Amsterdam further solidified her vision for Baya. The city, known for its leadership in sustainability, exposed her to a range of environmentally-conscious business practices. It was here that she also helped establish an angel fund, scouting and backing early-stage companies from academic institutions like the University of Amsterdam and VU University. “Amsterdam is a leading capital when it comes to sustainability,” she says. “That was my first real contact with understanding sustainability itself.”
Equipped with new knowledge and a clear mission, Lita returned to the UAE to build something different. But bringing her vision to life wasn’t without its challenges. It took 18 months of meticulous development to create a detergent that was both effective and safe. The formula needed to be biodegradable and free from harsh chemicals, while still capable of tackling tough stains. Lita’s team built the product based on the rigorous Environmental Working Group (EWG) scale for ingredient safety. “The issue with most detergents is the formula itself, which usually uses very harsh chemicals,” she explains. “It took almost one and a half years to perfect it because we had to understand how to combine ingredients to be efficient but at the same time safe.”
Baya’s journey didn’t stop with its launch. Initially offering just two variants – scented and unscented – Lita actively sought feedback from early customers. Six months in, the feedback led to a complete reformulation of the product. “We can always change in a fast way because we take feedback directly from people, from our customers,” she says. This adaptability, she believes, is one of the key advantages of being a small startup.
Baya officially launched as an e-commerce business in January 2020, and within a year, Lita had secured partnerships with major UK retailers such as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. Recognising the local demand for quick deliveries, Baya expanded its presence on UAE quick-commerce platforms like Insta Shop and Noon Minutes, offering delivery within 15 minutes to one hour. Today, the brand operates across multiple channels, including Amazon, Noon, Carrefour, and Kebs, as well as through its own website.
One of Baya’s standout features is its subscription model. As the first UAE cleaning product brand to offer subscriptions, customers can schedule regular deliveries of their products, with options to pause, swap, or cancel at any time. “We offer better deals for subscription customers,” Lita explains. “They know exactly when products are arriving.”
Beyond product expansion, Lita is focused on building a community. Baya has cultivated a network of affiliate partners, many of whom are stay-at-home mothers and online creators. These affiliates are supported through events where social media experts share tips on engagement and content creation. “We are not only a brand that sells products,” Lita says. “We try to create a movement. We try to give back to the community because this is the most important thing for us.”
Looking ahead, Baya is set to expand further into the region, with Saudi Arabia next on the horizon. With a solid product, a growing customer base, and a commitment to sustainability, Baya is positioning itself as a leader in the clean product movement in the Middle East.