Where did the name Kazi come from & what does it mean?

Kazi means employment, or ‘jobs’ in Swahili. 

In 2016, All Across Africa launched a new brand, called Kazi after the Ebola crisis in West Africa. 

“In an effort to help reduce the wide-spread fear and association of African disease, turmoil and pain with the name ‘Africa’ and associate the continent with more accurate depictions–joy, love and hope–we launched Kazi.”
Alicia Wallace, Co-Founder and COO

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What is Kazi? 

The brand highlights the techniques and capabilities of the All Across Africa artisans and is exclusively focused on the home decor and gift market. 

Kazi is about creating connections.  The brands whole purpose is to elevate artisan craft to connect women across the globe.  It connects US home decor to traditional African techniques, American mothers to African mothers, it creates connections across many geographies and cultures.

I’m a brand looking to expand my Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives or find more Environmental Social Good (ESG) suppliers.  How can we work together? 

Our CSR and ESG partners are the most committed and helpful in achieving social and environment change because they have the buy-in from their leadership to partner together in a new, progressive way.  From the natural fibers we source to the Ethical Handcraft Seal we carry with Nest certifications, our retailer partners large and small are able to see trust that All Across Africa aligns with their CSR and ESG initiatives.

Our product line from Kazi or Kazi Wholesale is a great way to see some of the possibilities for what can be created, but don’t stop there! We work with many brands and partners who come to us with a “crazy idea” and we make it happen. Hair ties for an NFL player?  No problem.  Storage products for a $10 national retail program? We can and have done it.  High-end handbags made to exact standards with unique colors and patterns?  Yes, we can produce high end and high quality products.

I’m a small shop owner, how can I partner with All Across Africa or Kazi?  Which one is it? 

All Across Africa’s brand, Kazi, has an easy-to-shop wholesale site that has more than 1,000 products in-stock and ready to ship (our largest assortment ever!) from our San Diego location.  Our dedicated team of Account Managers is ready to help you build a high sell-through assortment. 

Shop here: www.wholesale.kazigoods.com 

Or email our team to get the info and help you need welcome@kazigoods.com 

Why have two separate names All Across Africa AND Kazi? 

There are two purposes to having different names:  

1. All Across Africa’s supply chain works to meet the needs of retailers large and small and the sole mission of the company is to create jobs. This means that the ‘brand name’ does not need to be seen or showcased and anything produced can be outside of the Kazi line and white labeled.  All Across Africa could produce shoe laces from natural fibers or hair ties or hats! Anything from natural fibers could come from All Across Africa and our unique supply chain. 
2. Kazi is a way for us to showcase what are only some of the possibilities that we can create through an on-trend home decor lens.  We want our partners to shine, and offer unique, memorable offerings. Our Kazi team designs and produces only a fraction of what is possible in wall statements and home decor, leaving great unique options for our partners to explore and own.  

Kazi has product & channel focus, while All Across Africa is focused on a reliable supply chain for social and environmental good.

So what is the real difference between Kazi & All Across Africa? 

All Across Africa is the parent company, it’s our legal name and on our registration in all of the countries where we work.  Kazi is our brand, our “Doing Business As” arm that we launched 3 years after we founded All Across Africa.  Kazi is one way to see the artisan craft we create, but not the only way.  

All Across Africa works with many retailers making their visions, products and corporate social responsibility (CSR) dreams come to life.  Does it have to look like a Kazi product? No.  Does it have to have a similar price point?  No.  

All Across Africa uses its supply chain, artisan network and product development expertise to learn and build new products for you, whether that be a keychain, Warriors themed gifts, Mother’s Day vases in mass or poinsettia planters for your online plant store, All Across Africa makes incorporating your ESG initiatives into your everyday buying needs easy and seamless.

All Across Africa showcases our brand, Kazi, at tradeshows across the U.S. and world for customers to buy directly from the line or just as a way of making it easy to see the range of possibilities.  

Why is it Kazi not Causi or Causy? 

We’ve seen some really interesting spellings of Kazi.  Some think of it being a ‘cause’ organization (which we are!) and in their minds go to Causi or Causy when they hear it outloud before they see it spelled.  For us, Kazi was a great 4 letter word that was memorable, repeatable and impactful in its meaning.  Kazi means “jobs” in Swahili, the language common in East Africa, and paints a clear picture of our true north, our mission, for our artisans, staff and partners. 

Was Kazi or All Across Africa in Costcos? 

All Across Africa got its premier debut as a Costco Road Show vendor when we launched the company in 2013.  We showcased our artisan made products throughout Costcos across the country.  Now similar products from the same company can be found directly at www.kazigoods.com