Black Like Me is the 200th company to join Proudly SA, the campaign to promote quality homegrown companies, products and services. Founded by Herman Mashaba in 1985, the black haircare company had to overcome many odds, like the politics of the time, a fire that nearly destroyed the whole operation and competition from national and international companies. In 1999, following a two-year merger with Colgate-Palmolive, Mashaba bought back the company, re-established it as an independent South African manufacturer, and has just launched its products into the UK.
