Fighting oral health issues with locally made floss picks

One such venture is RubiGrace Tufloss Picks, a brand founded by Grace Nyaguthii in 2017, and later joined by Francis Kirika.

Mr Kirika's venture into oral health innovation began with a personal challenge. He frequently suffered from interproximal cavities—the hid-den decay that forms between teeth where toothbrushes cannot reach. Like many others, he relied on floss picks to manage the issue.

However, he often felt frustrated by the high cost of imported options and the low quality of local alternatives. Motivated by this gap, he aimed to create an effective and affordable solution. This led to the idea behind Tufloss, which is designed to combine quality with accessible pricing.

“I came up with the idea of producing floss here in Kenya to better serve individuals like myself who struggle with interproximal cavities and cannot find quality floss picks locally. The venture gained traction in June 2020 when we realised just how significant the gap in the market was,” Mr Kirika explains.

The name 'RubiGrace' is a combination of 'Rubi', which symbolises something precious, and 'Grace', which represents elegance and style. From the outset, the team behind the brand knew that their solution could not be ordinary; it had to be graceful.

Functional and elegant

When designing their dental floss picks, they were guided by themes of elegance, smooth ergonomics and thoughtful aesthetics. They believe that a smile is precious and becomes even more graceful when supported by healthy gums without the burden of a high cost.

The venture required significant investment, with a capital of about Sh10 million covering all aspects from land acquisition to the construction of a manufacturing facility in Malaa, Machakos County. This was entirely funded through savings.

The team encountered several challenges early on. They dedicated themselves to organic growth, steering clear of loans, which resulted in a delay between inception and the product launch.

Although this slow pace was frustrating, it gave them time for consultation and research, enabling them to identify what would set them apart in the market.

“One major challenge was the language barrier with foreign tooling engineers. At the time, we could not find any local experts, so we had to rely on overseas engineers to bring our designs to life,” Mr Kirika says, adding that the back-and-forth communication, coupled with expensive logistics for approving prototype samples, was exhausting but ultimately worth it.

Another hurdle was securing a reliable electricity connection, which took longer than expected. “Additionally, with no existing Kenyan standards for our product, gathering the necessary tensile strength and technical data for KEBS certification was a tough, uphill task,” he adds.

Their main raw materials—PET plastic and dental floss thread—are sourced locally through trusted importers.

Product development was a key focus during the early stages. Creating aesthetic, ergonomic, and functional designs required close collaboration with tooling engineers over an extended period.

Although the production line is fully automated, continuous monitoring at each stage is essential to ensure precision and enable errors to be detected early.

Quality control

When the raw materials arrive at the factory, they are dried in hopper dryers to eliminate moisture and maintain a stable temperature. A vacuum feeder then transfers the material into an injection moulding machine, where the floss picks begin to take shape.

A second machine inserts and trims the floss thread. Finally, robotic arms handle the stacking process, and only the floss picks that pass strict quality control move on to the packaging and sealing stage.

The floss picks are made from virgin HIPS (high-impact polystyrene) and UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) yarn.

“To ensure consistent quality, we have automated the entire production line, from material handling to packaging. But human oversight re-mains essential. I am involved in the daily operations because even the best systems can have errors that need quick intervention. I also train new operators to uphold our standards,” Mr Kirika says.

This product is safe for both children and adults, and is free from synthetic waxes, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE/Teflon) and other harmful chemicals. The primary product, Tufloss Interdental Flossups, is a pack of 50 flossers priced at Sh250, offering a locally made alternative to more expensive international options.

Designed to be gentle on gums, each flosser has one end that acts as a toothpick and the other end that has floss for effective interdental cleaning.

“We distribute through Kilimall, Make It Kenya, and are expanding into Naivas branches nationwide. We also supply pharmacies and dental clinics in Nairobi with direct delivery options. Despite our strong distribution capabilities, low oral health awareness remains a challenge,” Mr Kirika says.

With a machine that can produce over 55,000 floss picks per hour, the firm is confident in meeting local demand and expanding into East Africa and beyond. The goal is to become the leading brand for floss picks in Kenya and across the continent.

RubiGrace emphasises sustainability through tree-planting initiatives and zero-waste production. The company can degrade and sort used floss picks and provides this high-value polymer waste free of charge to recyclers and upcyclers, helping to keep it out of the environment.

The company also plans to launch comprehensive skills training programmes to encourage youth entrepreneurship and promote sustainable livelihoods.

Mr Kirika says, “We hope to raise awareness about the fact that poor oral care can lead to a range of health problems in the mouth and the body.”

As people become more aware of the importance of oral hygiene, the outlook for future growth is promising. Where the benefits of safe flossing and oral health awareness are understood, uptake has been strong.

However, uptake has been slower in areas where this knowledge is lacking. To address this, RubiGrace is focusing on raising awareness through social media platforms and exhibitions.