All Across Africa

The Situation

All Across Africa (AAA) is a pioneering, for-profit company based in the U.S. with offices in several African countries. The company designs and produces high-quality handmade home decor, kitchenware, and dining ware products while creating much-needed employment across rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Since AAA's inception in 2013, it has created a meaningful livable income for more than 10,000 women, children, and families across Africa and worldwide. Consumers have enthusiastically responded to the company's mission and products, resulting in $10 million in cumulative sales and $2.1 million in annual sales in 2017. The company's highly skilled artisans and innovative training programs also enable its customers to create custom products and designs for large customers like Costco, FTD, Anthropologie, West Elm, and Ethan Allen.

The Opportunity

In 2018, the big-box retail chain At Home submitted a purchase order of $218,628 to AAA. The purchase order included 16,320 units from Rwanda, 6,210 units from Uganda, and 4,200 units from Ghana. Fulfilling the order would enable AAA to provide employment to an additional 200 artisans in Rwanda and Uganda and 50 more in Ghana. AAA’s artisans on average support families with five dependents, impacting a community of 14,250 people. But to complete such a large purchase order, AAA was in need of short-term working capital.

Open Road's Response

ORA provided a loan of $150,000 to enable All Across Africa to produce the ordered inventory and to take advantage of the growth opportunity with At Home. The short-term working capital from ORA proved to be catalytic in enabling AAA to unlock the opportunity with At Home and bridge the gap in obtaining more permanent working capital. The successful execution of the initial order from At Home enabled AAA to unlock up to $1.1 million in new annual revenue and created employment for 1,000 craftswomen.

To learn more visit: allacrossafrica.org