Roots, science and innovation: it was around these three pillars that Shirley Billot, founder of the Kadalys brand, offered a rare moment of intelligence, clarity and inspiration on April 16, 2025 at PALM in Fort-de-France.
Invited to inaugurate the very first afterwork of the Medef Martinique “Women Entrepreneurs” Commission, chaired by Nathalie Sébastien, and in the presence of Catherine Rodap, President of the Medef Martinique, the founder of the Kadalys brand shared the story of her career as a Martinican entrepreneur who has become a benchmark in the world of organic cosmetics.
Reflecting on a journey guided by listening to signs, scientific rigor and a deep attachment to her territory, she conveyed her vision with a sincerity that resonated with many of the women present. Far from a simple entrepreneurial testimonial, her speech made a deep impression with the quiet strength of her message.
From Martinique to international markets: a path shaped by listening and anchoring
While the success of Kadalys may be impressive – Martinique’s first organic cosmetics brand developed from bananas, winner of Forbes Africa’s Tech For Future award, among others, and present in several countries – it’s the way in which Shirley Billot talks about it that’s most compelling. She doesn’t claim to have a linear or predefined career plan, but rather a gradual construction, guided by a kind of rightness: understanding her environment, observing opportunities, being open to signs.
She recalls those pivotal moments when everything aligns naturally, provided you know how to listen. This relationship with intuition, assumed and lucid, lends a particular depth to her testimony. What might have seemed difficult or inaccessible becomes, through her account, a series of coherent choices, built step by step.
It was this reality in the field that led her to insist on the crucial importance of financing. “I was contacted by Rihanna’s team because she wanted to buy the oils. But the problem was that they were asking me for volumes that even my subcontractor couldn’t produce in a year.”
This kind of situation illustrates the strategic importance of fund-raising for any innovative company: you can’t afford to wait to structure yourself and anticipate growth.
Her words, calm, precise and anchored in reality, particularly touched the women present. She didn’t give a lesson. She simply recounted, with honesty, how she did it. And that’s what inspired us: an embodied, rooted and credible trajectory.
Producing, transforming and innovating locally: the example of a circular company in Martinique
Alongside Shirley, Audrey Warnery, doctoral student in charge of Research & Development projects at Kadalys, provided scientific insight into the choices made by Kadalys. The aim of her research is to scientifically analyze the company’s practices, produce data and formalize what has been put in place, with a view to drawing lessons from a concrete case study.
Kadalys transforms what the conventional economy regards as waste or surplus – bananas no longer available for sale – into a high value-added product. What’s more, it builds a complete value chain in Martinique, working with local producers, integrating local skills and developing locally patented processes.
The choice of the banana tree is not insignificant. It reflects a desire to reinterpret our often underestimated plant heritage. Â “In China and India, the banana tree is a sacred fruit. And we’ve totally devalued it.” It was by rediscovering this richness that Shirley Billot decided to build an ambitious project, rooted in her culture: “I wanted to give it back its letters of nobility.”
There’s nothing anecdotal about this economic model: it’s based on a vision of sovereignty, resilience and structural transformation. It shows that an island territory like Martinique can become a place of intelligent production, and not just an export point for raw materials. Kadalys is a concrete illustration of this.
A different way of succeeding, driven by a different way of being
This April 16th at the Palm was no ordinary conference. It was a transmission. Not so much about techniques or numbers, but about posture, outlook, a way of being in the world. Shirley Billot didn’t hide the challenges, but she showed that entrepreneurship could also be an act of listening, anchoring and being true to oneself.
The words resonated. Particularly among the many women who turned out. It showed that it’s possible to create a solid, recognized and respected project here in Martinique – without distorting or copying ourselves, by starting from who we are. And that this posture is not a handicap, but a strength. A strength that, with method and vision, can transform a region’s economy.
Shirley Billot also shared a powerful reflection on the cultural obstacles women face, particularly in the French West Indies. “We’ve been taught so much to stay in our place. For her, a change of posture is necessary: “We have to stop being too polite. We need to be bold.”
His international career, particularly in the United States, was a determining factor in this realization: “I learned a lot from American culture. Thanks to this openness, Kadalys has built solid bridges between local identity and global ambition.
A path that reconnects strategy, intuition and territory
Kadalys is not only an innovative company. It’s a Martinican model of economic construction based on the coherence between who you are, what you know and what you want to pass on. Shirley Billot, without artifice, has shown that it is possible to reconcile personal intuition, scientific expertise and commitment to one’s territory.
Far from the effects of rhetoric or heroic narratives, it opened up another perspective: that of a Martinique capable of producing differently, innovating from within, and shining without denying its identity. This attachment to the region is at the heart of his approach.
” Martinique is my island.” She fully assumes this choice: “I chose to stay here, because I want us to change the dynamics of our territory.”
A committed, lucid and forward-looking vision for a new generation of Martinican entrepreneurs.
