KOKOBÉRNA is West Africa’s leading luxury house and integrative well-being brand, blending heritage and innovation to design the world's most exquisitely formulated products, integrative medicine therapies, and holistic wellness offerings that deeply empower our clients to improve quality of healing, increase health span, and nurture body + mind + heart + spirit™. Founded 1611 by ancestral monarchs of Old Calabar Kingdom and today under the creative direction of a 14th generation descendant.

OUR VALUES

BEAUTY + WISDOM + WELLBEING

The West African proverb “the sun is hidden in her face”, translates a reflection of purity, of thought, of action; one’s inner light. Our highest purpose is to sustainably handcraft the most exquisite portfolio of organic therapeutic science-backed treatments and design integrative wellness therapies that are deeply rooted in traditionalism, ancestry, heritage, and wellbeing so when others see you, they see the light within. 

 

LOVE = KINSHIP + ONENESS

We have an unwavering commitment to create an enduring love relationship between our customers who are discerning and deserve the best-in-class, our handcrafted products because they are of the most impeccable quality, and the reverence we have for Mother Earth and all of its wonderful inhabitants; a sacred triumvirate that upholds the traditional African philosophy of kinship + oneness™.

 

DO NO EVIL CAUSE NO HARM

A force for good, KOKOBÉRNA works steadily to make a difference, to do less harm and more good for people + planet. We choose not to be part of the problem. We constantly innovate and evolve our business for the highest good of all.

 

TRANSCEND MEDIOCRITY

We are just like you… and got tired of being told we couldn’t trust our ability to know our bodies intimately. So we journeyed back to our West African origins and learned all we could about ancient traditional medicine and the philosophy of vibrant slow living using indigenous botanicals to heal, to cocoon, to restore. This is exactly why we do what we do - transcend mediocrity: to challenge obsolete, polarized, and one-size-fits-all norms around the excellence of culture, ancestral knowledge, femininity, masculinity, spirituality, hormone health, reproductive wellness, mental health, and beauty as a spiritual practice™... to create the world's most exquisite, the most impeccable, the most therapeutic products and divine experiences to nurture and rejuvenate body + mind + heart + spirit™ for a lifetime.

 

A FORCE FOR GOOD: INSPIRE + UPLIFT

We believe "beauty is as beauty does™." We believe in equal human rights and equitable opportunities for women and young girls of tomorrow. The global challenges we face as women in society require leadership. Leadership of ourselves. Hence, KOKOBÉRNA was purposely built as a force for good with the goal to inspire, to uplift, and to use business as an effective tool to leave the planet better than we found it.

Since the beginning, we have always seen it as our responsibility to give back. We pledge 5% of every experience, bottle, and jar sold and donate the proceeds to charitable organizations and nonprofits supporting causes we deeply value: from providing safe shelter for victims of domestic violence, to educating our young girls of tomorrow in STEAMxB (Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts, Mathematics, x Business), to inspire fellow women entrepreneurs and farmers in developing countries with micro finance opportunities, to be stewards of the environment and advocates of Mother Earth. An important mission to inspire and uplift all of humanity. To be the catalyst that initiates change for a brighter future. With your continued support of our business, this is our gift of gratitude - our gift to humanity.

 

OLD CALABAR KINGDOM

OUR ORIGIN

OUR FOUNDER

A global citizen who has intercontinental living experiences across Africa, Europe, and America, Belinda Kǒkóèkà Bernadette Bassey Ephraim was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria into an Efik royal family and hails from a dynasty of West African healers and herbalists. A finance and hospitality executive at leading Wall Street corporate investment banking firms and luxury resorts, Belinda made a bold career shift to follow her deeply rooted passion for holistic health and well-being, after surviving a biological death due to adverse side effects of steroidal hormone contraceptives. Embarking on a self-healing quest, in partnership with her team of healthcare practitioners, she journeyed back home to West Africa and became reacquainted with the traditional medicinal philosophy of slow living to nurture her body + mind + heart + spirit™.
 
During her time there, Belinda recalled ancient botanical formulations which her female ancestors developed centuries earlier for aristocratic families of the Old Calabar Kingdom, but which required laborious processes to create. Since access to these remedies were not generally available to all, she would spend time in her home country researching, cataloguing over four centuries of her foremothers' remedies as far back as 1611, and apprenticing under the guardianship of artisan herbalists to learn the fine art of recreating divine, synergy enhanced botanical treatments using traditional methods rooted in the ancient sciences that are an advanced vibratory expression of plant medicine. The unwavering commitment to preserve her family's values and legacy, led to the laborious curation of the comprehensive heritage library of proprietary traditional remedies that have since been vetted by French PhD cosmetic biomedical scientists and now made by hand in the US following stringent EU cosmetic standards.
 
Belinda’s first formulations, the sacred crown jewels of the brand, HEALER’S GOLD™ Face Oil and HEALER’S Gold™ Face Serum were born. At first, Belinda used herself as a test subject applying them daily to both her face and surgical scars. Almost instantly, she noticed the oil + serum combo remarkably calmed down her eczema flareups, increased the moisturization factor, and made her dry itchy skin feel incredibly silky soft. They also effectively repaired the scarred skin tissue, reduced the hyper-pigmented discoloration, and significantly reduced the excess keloid growth. Today, the emblematic collection is made by our brilliant in-house team and shipped directly from us to you. The skincare products are cruelty-free, soy-free, CBD-free, endocrine disruptor free, and contain a minimum concentration of 90 percent USDA certified organic ingredients. The caffeine-free, non-stimulating medicinal herbal tea supplements contain 100 percent USDA certified organic ingredients. All the ingredients are 100 percent sustainably sourced and traceable by KOKOBÉRNA. Learn more about our process.
 
A Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees in Finance,  Belinda is also a trained herbalist, product formulator, and aromatherapist; a Precision Nutrition certified holistic nutrition coach; a meditation practitioner having trained under Tibetan Buddhist monks, Hindu yogis, and leaders such as Sharon Salzberg and Jon Kabat-Zinn; a professional Jesuit Eucharist and lay minister; a certified Crystal Reiki Healer; a certified Usui Reiki Ryoho Reiki Master (Level I, II and III); and a staunch advocate for women’s health.

As one who constantly seeks knowledge of botanical medicine, mind-body medicine, yoga, ayurveda, naturopathy, nutrition and dietary supplements, functional movement, energy medicine, neuro-stimulation, and integrative medicine modalities, the seed of KOKOBÉRNA was planted. Belinda’s background coalesces with her authentic excitement to enrich the lives of those around her, making her influence integral to KOKOBÉRNA as a community and brand. In simple, yet profound ways, it matters for highly discerning customers and professional partners who truly appreciate and love how the KOKOBÉRNA experience makes them feel.

THE CROWN JEWELS