Essential Care Plus is a direct-trade sourcing company connecting African botanical cooperatives with brands, formulators, and conscious consumers worldwide. Founded in 2021 and based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Our story
Founded in 2021 by Zinsou Gislain, who grew up in the farming communities of northern Benin. After years watching middlemen capture most of the value of African ingredients, Zinsou built Essential Care Plus to source directly from the cooperatives, so that more of every dollar reaches the people who tend the soil.
What we do
We source, test, and ship authentic African botanicals, chebe powder, ambunu leaves, raw shea butter, moringa, spirulina, and hibiscus, from named cooperatives in Chad, Benin, and West Africa. Every shipment is backed by phytosanitary certificates and lab testing.
- For brands & formulators: wholesale and bulk sourcing → Wholesale Program
- For consumers: retail shop → Shop
- See where our ingredients come from: → Our Communities
Our standards
| Standard | What it means |
|---|---|
| Direct trade | We buy from cooperatives, not middlemen |
| Named sources | Every ingredient traces to a specific cooperative |
| Documented | Phytosanitary certificates on every shipment → Compliance |
| Lab tested | Purity and contaminant testing before shipping |
Trusted by
Design Essentials and hundreds of brands, salons, and formulators since 2021.
See what our customers say on Trustpilot →
Contact
- Email: contact@essentialcareplus.com
- Phone: +1-505-509-0235
- Address: 8206 Louisiana Blvd NE, Ste A #1267, Albuquerque, NM 87113
- Contact form: → Contact us