Back To Africa
Back To Africa Corp. is a US wholesale B2B supplier of African natural personal care products — including shea butter, black soap, hair care, and perfume body oils — serving SMB beauty retailers, product formulators, and private-label resellers across the United States and Canada since 1989.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Back To Africa does
Back To Africa Corp., operating as Back2Africa / Back To Africa Imports, is a US wholesale B2B supplier of African-origin natural personal care products, headquartered in New York and shipping across the US and Canada via UPS/FedEx. Founded in 1989 by Jaime, who began by importing African art from Tanzania and expanded into shea butter and personal care, the company today operates a Shopify-based wholesale ecommerce platform (back2africa.com) with a $100 minimum order, volume-tiered pricing through 144-piece gross cases, and free shipping on orders of $1,000 or more. Its portfolio spans raw/unrefined shea butter in white and yellow grades, traditional Ghanaian African Black Soap, perfume body oils, hair care (Chebe Butter, Edge Control, Hair Wax Sticks), and starter kits, organized under four registered sub-brands: Ashanti Naturals, Shea Aroma (fragrance-infused whipped shea), Shea Natural, and the artist-collaboration Bouffants & Broken Hearts line with Kendra Dandy. Core product technology centers on cold-pressed, unrefined Butyrospermum Parkii shea butter sourced from the West African Karite Tree, authentic Chebe powder from Croton zambesicus, and traditional black soap formulations combining plantain extract, coconut oil, shea butter, and palm oil.
The business targets three primary buyer segments: SMB retailers and beauty supply businesses purchasing for resale; product formulators and entrepreneurs needing raw/finished wholesale ingredients including private-label and bulk SKUs; and, indirectly, end-consumers reached through those resellers. GTM is sales-led with phone sales support (1.888.282.3563), a content/blog presence on shea butter benefits for organic acquisition, and social/email channels for retention. There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or public financial filings; ownership remains with the founder's family and the business operates as a private New York corporation, with revenue, headcount, and ARR not publicly disclosed.
Back To Africa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Back To Africa
- Legal name
- Back To Africa Corp.
- Website
- https://back2africa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Back To Africa Corp. is a US wholesale B2B supplier of African natural personal care products — including shea butter, black soap, hair care, and perfume body oils — serving SMB beauty retailers, product formulators, and private-label resellers across the United States and Canada since 1989.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Back To Africa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Personal Care Products
- SIC
- Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health, Beauty & Pharmacy Bulk Wholesale (B2B) (CRAEAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nonfood Grocery & HBC Wholesale (Paper, Cleaning, Personal Care) (AFAIABAL), Cross-Border / Import-Export Cash & Carry (Ethnic & International Trade) (CRAEAEAJ)
Keywords
Where Back To Africa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Back To Africa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others
Revenue model
- Wholesale Product Sales: B2B wholesale distribution of African Shea Butter, personal care products, and beauty supplies. Products sold in various bulk quantities including individual units, packs, dozens, cases, master cases, and gross quantities. Revenue generated through one-time product transactions with volume-based pricing tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Volume-based wholesale pricing tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Back To Africa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Back To Africa is a wholesale B2B supplier of African natural personal care products, with core offerings centered on raw and whipped Shea Butter (white, yellow, unrefined, cold-pressed), African Black Soap, perfume body oils, hair care products, and bulk ingredients. Products are sold under proprietary sub-brands (Ashanti Naturals, Shea Aroma, Shea Natural, Bouffants & Broken Hearts) and via a generic-label line for private-label resellers. The company targets retailers, beauty supply stores, product formulators, and small business owners through its own ecommerce platform with a $100 minimum wholesale order and tiered volume pricing.
Product overview
Back To Africa is a wholesale supplier of African natural products, primarily focused on Shea Butter and personal care items. The product portfolio consists of multiple sub-brands and product lines: the flagship Ashanti Naturals brand offering shea butter, black soap, and hair care products; the Shea Aroma premium whipped shea butter line with various fragrances; the Shea Natural African black soap collection; the art-inspired Bouffants & Broken Hearts collection; and Generic Labeled products for private labeling. Core offerings include raw/unrefined shea butter, whipped shea butter, black soap, perfume/body oils, hair care products (Chebe Butter, Edge Control, Wax Sticks), bulk ingredients, and starter kits. The company operates on a wholesale model with a $100 minimum order, selling primarily to business customers including retailers, product manufacturers, and entrepreneurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ashanti Naturals: Natural personal care products featuring shea butter with vibrant labels, including African black soap, whipped shea butter, and body care items.
- Shea Aroma
- Shea Natural
- Bouffants & Broken Hearts
Products and services
- Shea Butter (White/Yellow/Raw/Unrefined)
Companies that use Back To Africa
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Back To Africa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Back To Africa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Back To Africa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alaffia: Alaffia is a B2B and retail supplier of natural personal care products featuring West African ingredients (shea butter, African black soap, coconut oil) sourced through cooperatives in Togo. Operates a highly comparable wholesale + DTC model to Back To Africa, serving retailers and product formulators with similar ingredient sourcing.
- Baraka Shea Butter: Baraka Shea Butter is a Uganda-based specialty company selling unrefined raw shea butter sourced from local women's cooperatives to wholesale and retail customers. Directly comparable to Back To Africa's core shea butter wholesale business with similar sourcing-from-Africa origin and SMB retail customer base.
- Making Cosmetics: Making Cosmetics is a wholesale supplier of cosmetic raw ingredients, bases, and packaging supplies serving small beauty brands and product formulators. Comparable to Back To Africa's 'Bulk Ingredients' and 'Generic Labeled Products' divisions that supply private-label and formulation customers.
- Voyageur Soap & Candle: Voyageur Soap & Candle is a wholesale supplier of raw soap-making ingredients, packaging, and bases serving small businesses and DIY formulators. Comparable to Back To Africa's bulk raw shea butter, black soap paste, and cocoa butter offerings targeting similar SMB manufacturer customers.
- Eu'Genia Shea: Eu'Genia Shea is a specialty shea butter supplier working directly with Ghanaian women's cooperatives to wholesale raw and refined shea butter to natural product formulators and retailers. Directly comparable to Back To Africa's core unrefined/raw shea butter offering with similar sourcing model and trade customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Carol's Daughter: Carol's Daughter is a Unilever-owned natural beauty brand specializing in haircare and skincare targeted at Black women. Comparable to Back To Africa's branded hair care offerings (Chebe Butter, Edge Control, Hair Wax Stick) and competitive for the same end-consumer wallets via a vastly larger DTC and retail footprint.
- Nubian Heritage: Nubian Heritage is a personal care brand within Sundial Brands/Unilever featuring shea butter, African black soap, and other African-inspired ingredients. Comparable to Back To Africa's Ashanti Naturals and Shea Natural branded product lines, addressing the same culturally-rooted consumer segments with much larger marketing muscle.
- Shea Moisture: Shea Moisture is a leading hair and skincare brand under Unilever built on ethically sourced shea butter and African-inspired ingredients. Operates at significantly larger scale than Back To Africa with strong consumer brand recognition, but competes in overlapping ingredient/category territory and represents the kind of incumbent that Back To Africa's wholesale customers may also stock.
- L'Occitane: L'Occitane is a global premium natural beauty company with major shea butter product lines sourced from Burkina Faso women's cooperatives. Comparable to Back To Africa's shea butter sourcing model and finished products, though L'Occitane operates at a much larger scale, broader geographic reach, and a premium positioning.
Emerging players
- African Botanics: African Botanics is a premium natural skincare brand featuring African botanical ingredients (marula, baobab, rooibos, shea). Comparable to Back To Africa in ingredient origin and African-themed natural positioning, but targets premium direct-to-consumer channels rather than the wholesale B2B retailer/formulator segment Back To Africa serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Back To Africa social profiles
Digital presenceBack To Africa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Back To Africa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Back To Africa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Back To Africa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Back To Africa
What does Back To Africa do?
Back To Africa is a wholesale B2B supplier of African natural personal care products, with core offerings centered on raw and whipped Shea Butter (white, yellow, unrefined, cold-pressed), African Black Soap, perfume body oils, hair care products, and bulk ingredients. Products are sold under proprietary sub-brands (Ashanti Naturals, Shea Aroma, Shea Natural, Bouffants & Broken Hearts) and via a generic-label line for private-label resellers. The company targets retailers, beauty supply stores, product formulators, and small business owners through its own ecommerce platform with a $100 minimum wholesale order and tiered volume pricing.
Is Back To Africa a public or private company?
Back To Africa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Back To Africa founded?
Back To Africa was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Back To Africa based?
Back To Africa is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Back To Africa make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Product Sales.
Who are Back To Africa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alaffia, Baraka Shea Butter, Making Cosmetics, Voyageur Soap & Candle and Eu'Genia Shea. Broad incumbents are Carol's Daughter, Nubian Heritage, Shea Moisture and L'Occitane. African Botanics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Back To Africa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Back To Africa.
What industry is Back To Africa in?
Back To Africa's product category is Wholesale Personal Care Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAEAEAI, Health, Beauty & Pharmacy Bulk Wholesale (B2B), with a secondary code of AFAIABAL, Nonfood Grocery & HBC Wholesale (Paper, Cleaning, Personal Care). Its SIC code is 5122.