Entrepreneurial Pivot: From IT to Ozone Therapy

In 2008, I unexpectedly found myself without an income. My IT company had been sold, and a restraint-of-trade agreement prevented me from re-entering the tech industry. A businessman at heart, I immediately began searching for new opportunities. I wanted to move into manufacturing, preferably in a sector with less competition than I had experienced in IT.

The answer lay close to home. In the 2000s, my brother-in-law won an international prize for inventing low-cost, compact industrial ozone generators. These generators were used in China during the SARS coronavirus outbreak to oxidise the virus in public spaces such as airports and train stations, helping to quickly contain its spread.

The Science of Ozonated Oil

Ozone (O₃), the tri-atomic molecule of oxygen, is exceptionally reactive. It will oxidise almost anything, from pollen to smoke particles. Crucially, its half-life is only around four minutes, meaning it cannot be stored easily; it must be used immediately after generation. The only way to capture and contain its power is to bind it with organic oil, forming a new molecule, a hydrocarbon bond such as C₂H₁₈O₃.

Not all oils are created equal.

The ozonation of organic oils, began with olive oil. Over time, other oils were tested, including sunflower, avocado, hempseed, linseed, and jojoba. Ozonation is a long process: the oils become bleached to a lighter colour and gain volume per weight. Olive oil could take up to 21 days to reach saturation; avocado oil took only 12 days, while hempseed oil reached the same saturation level in just four days.

This process significantly alters the oil's properties. While suitable for food before ozonation, the treated oil becomes bitter to taste and has a somewhat pungent odour, particularly with hempseed oil.

The Wonder of Medicinal Application

The true value of ozonated oil lies in its medicinal application.

When applied to the skin, the oil penetrates the tissue. At body temperature, the O₃ molecule detaches from the hydrocarbon bond and reverts naturally to O₂ (oxygen). This process enriches the body tissue with oxygen, and under these conditions, cell multiplication accelerates.

In essence, the ozonated oil acts as an oxygen carrier. It is a tool the body uses to heal itself, accelerating the natural repair process for wounds, for diabetic tissue starved of oxygen, or for tissue damaged by a spider's poison.

During production, we found that hempseed and linseed oil gained more weight within 100 hours of ozonation than avocado oil did after more than 200 hours. This confirmed that ozonated hempseed oil is a far stronger product than ozonated avocado oil, meaning less of the hempseed variant is required to achieve the same therapeutic results.

Production Success, Marketing Failure

The successful production, bottling, and branding of the product were arguably my greatest achievements in this venture. I leased space for raw material storage and my production plant within a host laboratory registered with the FDA in the USA. Ironically, my plant was situated in their perfume section, despite the distinct aroma of the ozonated oils!

I branded the ozonated avocado oil as AVO₃ and the ozonated hempseed oil as HEMPO₃. I commissioned professional box designs, obtained bar codes, and had a chemist write the essential product leaflets. The end-product packaging was of a quality comparable to any Pfizer or Bayer item.

However, where production and branding were successful, marketing was a dismal failure. Within six months, I had secured 168 health stores and pharmacies to sell my products. I advertised in magazines and newspapers and spoke on the radio. Yet, 168 outlets are negligible compared to the 4,000 total pharmacies and health stores across South Africa.

Ultimately, I suspect the timing — 2008 — was simply wrong.