Elysia Randolph founded Kaiem in 2018 to bridge the gap between Africans living in the diaspora and the creative, innovative brands that are producing and selling in West Africa. The Kaiem platform intends to present and distribute the high-quality products from those brands in a modern, convenient way.
Kaiem is…
MODERN
Kaiem is the newest take on a vision set by three generations of African women. Following in the footsteps of her late maternal grandmother, Naa Kai, and mother, Emma (Kaiem), who ran businesses exporting Ghanaian foods and products to the USA, Elysia sought to create a modern platform and brand, sharing products created by African artisans with people all over the world.
THOUGHTFUL
Every brand featured on the Kaiem platform has been personally selected by Elysia and her team, and reflects her experiences growing up as an African in the diaspora. Kaiem highlights all the things she missed from the motherland or craved every time she left Ghana – plantain chips, coconuts, shea butter and African textiles, to name a few.
ENRICHING
In the same ways your mother or grandmother nourish you – always giving you the best advice, food, direction or guidance – Kaiem hopes to do the same. In the spirit of such care and respect for tradition, each product featured and sold on the platform will make your life better in more ways than one way.
TRADITIONAL
The Kaiem icon represents the inspiration and life behind our brand. It is a combination of the Nyame Dua (tree of God) and Sankofa (go back and get it) Adinkra symbols, which are cultural and artistic representations from the Akan tribe in West Africa. It highlights the Kaiem brand values and origins.
INNOVATIVE
Products available on the platform add modern twists to traditional African classics. Kaiem speaks to a generation of youthful, conscious consumers who are seeking unconventional and authentic goods. Sankofa Snacks took a popular African snack (plantain) and added fun, vibrant flavours. R&R Luxury has traditional shea butter and African black soap in lush and convenient liquid form. Snacks of Africa’s coconut chips are crunchy, delicious and so fresh that they taste of a coconut that has fallen from the tree that very day.