Santa Barbara Business Creates a Positive Social and Environmental Impact Through Health and Beauty Products

KAIBAE, a k a the 'Lost Crops Company' Is Inspired by Ghana’s Baobab Tree

KAIBAE co-founders Tom Cole, Dr. Luc Maes and Barbara Berger Maes enjoying a glass of their healthy and tasty Baobab fruit powder in Tom’s Montecito Aloe garden. | Credit: Sara Prince

Inspired by the benefits of the baobab tree, Santa Barbara–based wellness company KAIBAE is putting people and the planet before profits and redefining what it means to be successful in business.

Central to the production of KAIBAE’s line of health and beauty products, as well as their baobab fruit powder — which is used in various products for companies such as Nature’s Path Organic, Republic of Tea, and Patagonia Provisions — is the use of regenerative practices, preservation of biodiversity, and recognition that sustainability is not enough.

Dr. Luc Maes holding a Baobab fruit pod | Credit: Brian Hodges

KAIBAE, which became a certified B Corp in 2022, was initially inspired by botanist-humanitarian Thomas Cole’s interest in the baobab tree. He formed the company with Barbara Maes and Dr. Luc Maes, and they have since partnered with communities in northern Ghana who have cherished the baobab for centuries. When KAIBAE was first started in 2014 (see story here), there had never been a commercial harvest of baobab. Having very few opportunities for economic development, northern Ghana’s harvesting of the baobab tree is a critical new source of revenue that improves the community’s access to education and healthcare and prevents food insecurity.