Christine Uerling

Alaffia

Alaffia is a social enterprise on a mission to alleviate poverty and advance gender equality in West Africa through the fair trade of indigenous ingredients found in in every one of its beauty and personal care products. Olowo-n'djo Tchala founded the company in 2004 with Prairie Rose Hyde, a Peace Corp worker, after experiencing many injustices including witnessing the unfair systems that the women around him faced when trading valuable natural resources. Preserving cultural traditions and knowledge, Alaffia handcrafts its award-winning clean and plant-based collections with unrefined shea butter, African black soap, coconut oil, neem extract and baobab and moringa oils from the women-led Alaffia Village Co-op. Alaffia's Empowerment Projects are its mission in action, funded by the sale of its products. These projects provide immediate and sustainable support for maternal health care, job creation, education, reforestation and regenerative agriculture. This allows West African communities to provide their skills and knowledge to the rest of the world and rise out of poverty. Visit Alaffia.com to learn more. The organization is proudly the second largest employer outside of the Togolese government. Alaffia's fair trade model ensures that co-op members are provided health insurance, paid time off and a living wage that is four times that of the average income in Togo. Alaffia also makes Good Soap, triple-milled, zero waste and gluten-free soap bars. 100% of proceeds are donated to families and communities around the world. A portion of Good Soap sales is donated to Whole Foods Market's Whole Planet Foundation to fund microfinance programs, which helps provide support to entrepreneurs globally.