Ayeya

About the offering

Alaffia is a certified Fair Trade body care brand with $17M in trailing twelve-month revenue, sold in 4,400+ retail stores nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Wegmans, Erewhon, Target.com, Walmart.com, Amazon, and Thrive Market. The company produces clean, shea-based soap and personal care products sourced directly from women-led cooperatives in West Africa through a vertically integrated Fair Trade supply chain. Founded by Olowo-n'djo Tchala, who built the brand from $0 to $40M+ in revenue before a successful exit to private equity in 2021, then reacquired the company in 2025 to restore founder-led mission alignment. The leadership team includes President Isabelle Francois (former Whole Foods Market & Amazon VP who drove $1.5B in revenue and scaled the 365 by WFM banner from $0 to $400M+) and VP of Growth Keith McBride (who led $1B Body Care categories at Whole Foods). Backed by Walter Robb ($25K, former Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market) and David Bronner ($25K, CEO of Dr. Bronner's, North America's top-selling natural soap brand with $209M in 2024 revenue). Whole Foods Market itself is listed as an investor. The Wefunder campaign has raised $1,113,622 from 54+ investors. The company is projecting $24M revenue and EBITDA profitability in 2026, with a path to $50M by 2028.The ProblemThe global body care industry relies heavily on shea butter—harvested almost exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa, which supplies roughly 90% of the world's supply. Tens of millions of women depend on shea collection as income, yet they receive the smallest share of the value their labor creates. Most supply chains are extractive: value concentrates downstream with brands and retailers while producers remain price-takers in a commodity system they don't control. When sourcing is exploitative, shea is often ultra-refined to mask degradation, undermining product quality. The "clean beauty" movement focuses on ingredients but rarely addresses supply chain integrity, traceability, or shared prosperity. Meanwhile, consumers seeking clean, effective, ethically sourced body care at accessible prices (not premium niche pricing) find limited options—most brands are either emerging/niche with premium markups or mass-market without genuine ethical supply chain credentials.The SolutionAlaffia operates a vertically integrated, certified Fair Trade supply chain that pays 15-25% above market price for shea nuts, provides stable income through long-term purchasing commitments, and dedicates a percentage of sales to community-led initiatives including maternal care, education, clean water infrastructure, and tree-planting. This model has directly and indirectly impacted 250,000+ lives across West Africa. The supply chain structure is also a competitive advantage: when shea is responsibly sourced and traditionally processed, it remains unrefined, nutrient-rich, and more effective—producing superior product quality. The company offers clean, effective body care at accessible pricing, avoiding the premium markups common in prestige clean brands while maintaining genuine ethical sourcing credentials.The current product portfolio includes soap bars, body wash, lotions, and body scrubs, with the Good Soap line serving as the primary growth engine. The Good Soap relaunch includes a long-term Whole Foods Market commitment with six-month exclusive single bars and bath bombs featuring dedicated branded fixtures. An expanded Good Soap body wash line debuts Q4 2026, followed by new lotions and body scrubs in Q1 2027.Business ModelAlaffia is a repeat-purchase consumer essentials business generating revenue through retail distribution (4,400+ stores), e-commerce (Amazon, brand website, Thrive Market), and wholesale channels. Body care products are replenishment-driven, creating inherent recurring purchase behavior. Revenue grew 3x YoY in 2025. The company projects $20M baseline revenue in 2026 through committed retailer shelf placements, with $24M total revenue and EBITDA profitability targeted. The path to $50M by 2028 is driven by Good Soap expansion, new product launches, club retail channel entry (2027), and mass channel expansion (2028).Gross margins are projected to expand from 25% in 2025 to 37% in 2026—a 12-point increase driven by supply chain consolidation, co-manufacturer alignment, transition to a brand-managed Amazon strategy, tighter trade spend discipline, and increased production scale. Operational leverage is built into the model as fixed costs spread across higher volume.Traction$17M trailing twelve-month revenue with $5M+ earned in the last 12 months (Wefunder verified badge). 3x year-over-year revenue growth in 2025. Products sold in 4,400+ retail stores nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Wegmans, Erewhon. Available on Amazon, Target.com, Walmart.com, and Thrive Market. Top 3 best-selling brand in Whole Foods Market body care. 15,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon. Featured in The New York Times, Vogue, NBC News, Good Housekeeping, and Harper's Bazaar. 250,000+ lives impacted in West Africa through community investment programs. Good Soap single bars and bath bombs just launched at Whole Foods Market with dedicated branded fixtures and six-month exclusivity. The founder previously built the company from $0 to $40M+ before a successful PE exit in 2021, then reacquired in 2025. Backed by Walter Robb (former Whole Foods Co-CEO, $25K), David Bronner (Dr. Bronner's CEO, $25K), and Whole Foods Market itself as an investor. The Wefunder campaign has raised $1,113,622 from 54+ investors, exceeding its first goal. The company has VC-backed and fast-growth verified badges on Wefunder.Market OpportunityThe global body care market exceeds $100B and grows every year. Soap, body wash, and lotion are replenishment-driven essentials embedded in daily routines. Clean and ethical purchasing is the fastest-growing segment, expanding at 17% CAGR through 2033 (roughly 2x overall category growth). There is significant whitespace between mass clean and premium niche—Alaffia targets this gap with accessible pricing and genuine ethical credentials. The company sees a clear path to 3% share of the addressable market. The $100B+ category and replenishment dynamics create a large, resilient revenue opportunity.TeamFounder and CEO Olowo-n'djo Tchala is an award-winning Fair Trade pioneer who built Alaffia from $0 to $40M+ in revenue, orchestrated a successful PE exit in 2021, and reacquired the company in 2025 to restore founder-led execution. He is an advisor to the Whole Foods Market Foundation, a US Trade Advisory Committee on Africa appointee, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient, and holds a BS from UC Davis. President Isabelle Francois drove $1.5B in revenue as a Whole Foods Market and Amazon VP, scaled the 365 by WFM new store banner from $0 to $400M+ revenue, and doubled revenue to $100M as CFO at Shaw Bakers. She holds an MBA from KEDGE Business School. VP of Growth & Product Keith McBride has 20+ years in CPG with leadership in category management and product development, and led $1B Body Care, Family & Home categories as a Whole Foods executive. The collective team has generated over $3B in retail revenue.

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