Alaffia is a bodycare brand that exists not to make a profit but to fight poverty and increase gender equality. Olowo-n’djo Tchala and Prairie Rose Hyde met in 1996 in Togo, West Africa, when Hyde was there as a Peace Corps volunteer. They both grew up without much, though to differing degrees because of their countries of origin: Hyde’s family relied on assistance programs but she was still able to get a great education, while Tchala, one of 42 children (his father had multiple wives), had to drop out of school as an adolescent to help out his family. They married in the mid-90’s and moved to Olympia, WA, Hyde’s home town, and five years later they helped to form a shea butter cooperative in Tchala’s home, thinking they’d create jobs for women.
Ends Policies
Oct 16th FREE Screening of Food For Change during National Co-op Month
Film examines food co-ops as a community-based economic movement
From our Farms to our Freezers
by Ruth, Shareholder Services
Plastic Bag Recycling…Where Do They Go?
If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered about the plastic bag recycling receptacle that has been living by our Co-op’s exit doors for the last few months. The recycling industry has suffered in recent times, and it makes some of us have to ask: what is actually happening to these bags once they leave our store? After all, – everything winds up somewhere, whether it’s in a , , or in .