Alaffia

A Friendship That Became a Movement

The story of Alaffia grew out of West African soil. In 1996, a young man from Togo, West Africa, met a young woman from rural Washington State. Inspired by a shared calling to do right by the world, they founded Alaffia as a social enterprise in 2003. From the beginning, their mission was clear: to redefine the natural products industry through the values of Beauty, Equality, and Empowerment, grounded in fair trade and safe, effective hair, face, and body care.

The very name Alaffia (pronounced ah-la-fee-uh) is a common greeting and farewell originating from central Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. It means a state of peace, health, and well-being. That meaning is woven into every product the company makes.

Milestones That Tell the Story

2003 — Alaffia establishes its first Shea Butter Cooperative in West Africa, laying the foundation for its fair trade supply chain.

2004 — The company officially establishes itself in Olympia, Washington, and launches its Maternal Care Project and Education Project in Togo.

2006 — Alaffia launches its Environmental Sustainability initiative, along with its Bicycles for Education and Eyeglasses programs.

2008 — Alaffia earns its first For Life certification, a globally recognized fair trade standard by ECOCERT.

2011 — The first school built through Alaffia's Education Project opens in Kouloumi, Togo.

2012 — A new Coconut Cooperative is established, bringing 130 more women into the cooperative family.

2015 — Alaffia launches the Queen Alaffia line to economically empower women who had previously been victims of the sex trade.

2017 — The Djapak Cooperative is established, and two more schools are built in Nadagou and Tamangue.

2018 — Alaffia products become available in more than 2,500 retail stores nationwide. The company receives the Award for Corporate Excellence from the U.S. State Department for Women's Economic Empowerment.

Certified and Committed

Alaffia holds For Life certification by ECOCERT, one of the first and most respected international fair trade inspection and certification agencies in the world. Their products containing shea, African Black Soap, white soap, or coconut are made with fairly traded ingredients, ensuring cooperatives in economically disadvantaged communities receive a greater share of the price consumers pay. Alaffia is also a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), recognized as a minority-owned, managed, and controlled business.