About Oliva

At the heart of every business lies its "WHY" — the core purpose that drives its existence.

Oliva was started in 2018 as a mother-daughter-grandmother trio. Extremely special to us, as my mom and I were both named after my grandmother, Maria.
Together, we launched Oliva as one of the first small businesses in South Africa offering floral and patterned medical scrubs, each one crafted with care and love in our beautiful South Africa.
What set us apart? We focused on quality: breathable, 100% cotton scrub tops designed to keep healthcare workers comfortable and confident.

Oliva's WHY was deeply personal and rooted in family, love, and a desire to make a meaningful impact.
A sense of purpose for my gran; to be fruitful with her hands and worship God through her talents, and an income for her so she could continue to live independently, as she strongly preferred. 

Working together brought us closer, and I will always treasure those memories of building something special side by side.

A lot has changed since 2018.
In 2021, I became a mother, and by 2022, I had two-under-two. Motherhood changed me and shifted my priorities, but my passion for Oliva remained. The purpose behind it stayed clear - something bigger than just business.

But when my youngest was only ten days old, my grandmother suffered a massive stroke, leaving her with R hemiplegia (flaccid paralysis) and aphasia.
We lost a huge part of the dynamic ouma we knew - her busy-ness, warm hugs and kind words.

And regarding Oliva, we lost our WHY.
I will miss doing Oliva with my mom and gran for the rest of my life.

After two years of mourning, reflecting, rest and prioritizing my little ones, I am excited for a new season of Oliva; doing Oliva with my sister, my best friend!
My WHY now is rooted in passion - passion for this platform, for creativity, for quality of life, for community and for women in healthcare!

Welcome to Oliva; MORE THAN MEDICINE.
More than a scrubs bizz; for women that are MORE than their careers and job titles!
YOU ARE MORE THAN MEDICINE! Feel at home.

Love,
Madie & Salome
Oliva team