AOW Insider: An Interview with All Across Africa
This month, I was delighted to interview Alicia Wallace. She is the founder of All Across Africa, which partners with artisan communities throughout Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania to create a strong and reliable supply chain for brands looking to source wovens and natural fiber basketry. I have known Alicia for over a decade and am always impressed with her consistency, her dedication to material, and her commitment to using local techniques specific to different regions in Africa.
One of the things I admire most about Alicia's work is her strong sense of focus. She sets her attention to perfecting a few key components of her product and her business model. In so doing, she has developed a strong, ethical supply chain while supporting hundreds of artisans throughout Africa, all from the ground up. While looking at many enterprises in the sector this remains one major way to stand out: focus on one category and go deep. This seems to be one of the keys to success that Alicia’s work highlights.
Alicia has been through a lot over the years and has a wealth of knowledge to share about building, scaling, and continually evolving an artisan enterprise. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Read more below.
To start, could you tell us a bit about your background, how you first got into this field, and how you came to create All Across Africa?
Our journey to creating All Across Africa and Kazi is one of twists and turns. Hard-earned lessons. Grit. Perseverance. Partnership. Stubborn optimism. And a commitment to make the believed impossible, possible.
From a young age, travel has been a passion of mine. In my travels, I’ve met people and experienced places around the world. As I explored, I struggled with the stark contrasts that exist between developed and developing countries. The devastation and poverty I saw wouldn't leave the forefront of my mind.
Hoping to help, I participated in missions in Mexico and Sierra Leone. On one specific trip I helped build a house to give shelter. A year later, the house was gone. Its impermanence taught me that good intentions don't always translate into long-term impact.
Down, but not out, I committed myself to finding solutions that would have long-lasting influence. I focused on a degree in economics as I sought to uncover an untapped financial solution to create long-term economic growth. I tried many things (that's a whole other story in itself!) and almost let my own educated bias steer me away. It was the patient, honest truths of locals in Rwanda who put me back on the right path. This journey, shared with my trusted partner Greg Stone, forged deep unbreakable partnerships.
These partners helped us to reimagine operational infrastructure. Through the lens of cultural respect, we aimed to go with the flow of day-to-day life in rural areas. With localized teams, we created a human-powered supply chain that networked talented artisans to each other. The method met our standards. It is ethical, protective of the environment, and scaled to last.
What in your mind has allowed All Across Africa to stand apart from and ahead of its competitors?
When we think of competitors, we think more about poorly made wall decor and accessories or those fabricated without ethical production in mind. We don’t see others in the artisan space as competitors. We’re all on a mission to help and we’ve worked to uniquely position ourselves.
What were some of the first investments that you made within your business that really paid off in terms of ROI?
Our first investments were in Costco Roadshow displays. These point-of-sale displays got our products in front of millions of Costco members. I had to quickly learn the ins and outs of a POS, the right merchandise, and the best story to tell. But when we could get the product into the hands of our customers to feel, touch, and experience them firsthand, we could secure business with them 3 times out of 4.
You have been working in this field for 12+ years. What shifts have you seen in the sector in that time and where do you feel artisanal products are headed?
I’ve seen artisan products becoming more accessible - to mainstream buyers and consumers as well as more formalized in supply chains. With many of our partners, we are their first handmade, artisan product. I’m proud of that.
I don’t think artisan should be pigeonholed as something that’s only limited edition or small batch. There is definitely a place for that, but artisan to me means having an inclusive supply chain, including all men and women everywhere in the opportunity to safely and equitably produce goods for global markets.
Where do you feel most artisan brands fall short when they first launch?
I think the most important thing for a new artisan business to have is a clear connection to a market and a customer. It might not be your ideal or long-term strategy, but artisan businesses cannot grow without consistent demand. You’ve got to start somewhere so even if that means starting out as a supplier to another brand while you sort out design, production, and delivery, do that and then move to own your own sales channel once you have those pieces in place. For me, the most important gap to fill is understanding who is going to buy your product and how you can get them to buy it with a regular cadence you can count on.
What sales and marketing investments have you made that hands down have paid off and allowed your business to get to the next level?
While Costco was not in our plan as a long-term sales channel – nor was it a profitable channel for us – being able to deliver on time and with high quality for a retailer like Costco was an investment in our reputation for other partners unsure of whether to bring in a new supplier like us. We became a Nest Seal company four years ago when they launched the seal. Without that seal many of our large partners would not be able to adapt their strict production requirements to our unique homeworker model.
You have focused on basketry and wovens. How crucial has this focus been for the growth of your brand?
We started broad, offering artisan-made goods for Costco members. Then we received UN grants and started working in Burundi with any and all materials, fibers, and textures we could imagine up. It opened a lot of doors but created a lot of complications as well. Our Board now reminds us to focus.
When we went back to our mission, which is to create jobs and income for rural men and women across Africa, we realized that our goal was securing for them the most income possible and the best jobs possible. That meant we needed a machine for scale, not a machine for our name to be known. We stopped building a top to bottom store and focused on natural fibers made in the home. To achieve our mission, scale quickly, and eradicate poverty on a large scale in a short amount of time, it was the best decision we’ve ever made.
What does a day in the life of Alicia look like?
The day-to-day of my job varies depending on the season we’re in. Sometimes I’m heavily focused on partnership proposals, building value for our partners through new products. At other times, I’m with our team in the warehouse, retrofitting our operations for scale or an operational shift. I like to call myself the ‘Chief Everything Officer’. It keeps things interesting and exciting for me: setting direction and strategy, coaching our team, and rolling up my sleeves and joining in the work to execute.
Sadly, I’m in Africa less and less now that we have established leadership, functional operating systems, and product development teams in place there. I really miss spending more time there, but the sustainability of locals leading our operations has provided me with confidence and comfort as we build a strong future ahead.
Anything more you want to share for those who are interested in building a strong, impactful artisan brand?
In my experience, you need to build a strong plan to go after, but you should also always be ready to pivot. It’s not failing when you have to say, “this didn’t work” or “it’s time to stop doing this”. It’s healthy for you and the business to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. We’re on the third invention of our model right now - there are different reasons for new beginnings and ends in your model. They come with different turns in the market, the opportunities in front of you, and the lessons learned that shape your future. It’s like dancing - be focused and disciplined but also be agile and ready to move in a new direction quickly.
For more info visit: www.allacrossafrica.org