These sisters started a vegan hair care company inspired by ingredients from their mother’s kitchen – now they have a big offer at Walmart

The Rucker family has all the time understood the ability of patience.

The brood of eight was led by a green-thumbed patriarch with a passion for farming and gardening, and a mother who could conjure magic from fresh ingredients. Their father often said that timing, consistency and care are what plants have to thrive. Likewise, their mother, a wizard within the kitchen, spent long days simmering the produce that her husband brought home to make the concoctions she prepared for her family. Everything from home remedies, tasty meals to hair care potions: olive oil to moisturize, avocado to nourish, carrots and turnips for hair growth.

Years later, the youngest Rucker siblings, Ione and Ellen Rucker, took these at-home childhood experiences into the laboratory and launched their hair care line in 2011, a vegan line of products whose ingredient history draws inspiration straight from their parents’ hands.

“We use things that come directly from our life experiences,” Ellen tells ESSENCE. “And it’s that legacy that we want people to feel every time they use one of our products.”

This was the peak of the natural hair movement, when black women were still searching for products specifically tailored to different textures. At the time, Rucker Roots created a revolutionary styling system designed for warmth-treated hair, which was unusual since most natural hair brands offered wash and go styling.

More than a decade after its founding, Rucker Roots is prospering, each in e-commerce and on the shelves of huge retail stores – the sisters just announced a major distribution take care of Walmart – however the path to success has not been streamlined. In fact, it was filled with heartache and large challenges.

“We had to take our focus away from the business a few times because life threw us some serious curveballs,” Ione tells ESSENCE.

One of the largest was the premature death of their beloved brother in 2016. An expected blow that shook the family and adjusted Ione and Ellen’s priorities.

“It was a huge setback for our business because he got sick when he was only 44, so we were on ice for a while,” Ione says. “It was a tragedy because we got here all of the option to San Francisco, California. He was home in South Carolina.

She said they spent a complete yr mourning after which were plunged into mourning when their father suddenly died just a few years later in 2019.

The story of their return was like a hero’s tale.

Ellen, who also faced personal challenges, also grappled with the truth of a child scuffling with serious health issues and ultimately divorce.

“It’s really kind of a comeback story,” says Ellen.

And what a comeback it’s. Earlier this yr, the sisters announced a landmark distribution agreement with Walmart, which supplies their products to 785 stores, including international locations.

“We’re already in Dubai,” Ellen enthuses, adding that the timing of the deal was perfect.

“Walmart came to us in 2019, but we just weren’t ready,” she said truthfully. “Now it’s just from here. This is our time.”