A week after graduating university, Zuly Matallana had to undergo brain surgery.
The operation left her temporarily unable to walk or run and facing a rocky road to recovery, but one she navigated.
In the wake of that experience, the entrepreneur left her native Colombia and her career in journalism and emigrated to Canada, moving around throughout the GTA before settling in Aurora. After losing her aunt, Ruth, and grandmother, Alicia, to breast cancer, Matallana’s became focused on developing natural, healthy products for women.
“Now I'm running with purpose,” said Matallana in an interview with AuroraToday.
In 2016, she founded Tiara and began selling reusable, long-lasting shower caps, with the goal of reducing plastic waste. She took the products onto Canadian Dragon’s Den in 2019, securing a deal with two judges.
While she sold the shower caps internationally, making products specifically long-lasting is a challenging business model, she acknowledged.
So she pivoted, expanding the Tiara brand by developing her own natural deodorant products. The process was a lengthy one, as Matallana worked with a laboratory in the U.S. to develop a formula she was pleased with, testing it herself.
Matallana said she had struggled with sensitivity and finding a product she could use, making her a good tester for the products.
“I'm so difficult to please because normally nothing worked for me,” she said.
The priority for the products was to use natural ingredients. They are vegan, using sunflower wax and have no aluminum.
“When you wake up, you just use a deodorant without knowing the ingredients, because you have the fear of smelling,” said Matallana, "while we should actually be more conscious about our health.”
Eventually, she found a formula she liked and began rolling out the products in 2023. She has been selling them since May of that year, using online vendors, as well as local ones in Aurora, like the Healthy Planet on Yonge Street in Aurora. She also recently partnered with a branch of health stores based in Texas.
Matallana, who is a single mother, said she is eager to grow the business, and also hopes to acts as an inspiration to others.
“I understand life is really short and that's another important thing,” she said. “I think in life, if we realize that life is short, then we understand that our time here is limited to create something better for others,” said Matallana, who cited Terry Fox as an inspiration.
“I believe that when you have a mission in life, you really have to make make yourself loud,” she added.
More information about Matallan and Tiara can be found online.