Bachir Abba: the Making of an Award-Winning Multinational Cosmetics Corporation

MEET: Bachir Abba ’06

EARNED: Master of Business Administration

From Morocco to Wilmington, Delaware to Issaquah, Washington.

Born and raised in extreme poverty in a small village in Morocco, Bachir Abba’s father passed away when he was only three years old. The impact left his mother unable to afford classroom books for him and his siblings. As a result, the older ones could no longer attend school. Abba was fortunate, and with the love and strength of his mother, Abba went on to finish high school and later earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Morocco.

Despite all the hardships he had faced, he remained willing to work hard toward his lifelong dream to study abroad and to become an entrepreneur. With the help of family, he managed to travel to the United States and enroll in the hospitality management program at a university in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, his best friend was already studying a few miles away at Goldey-Beacom College.

Yemini-born Maeen Al Darwish invited Abba to visit the GBC campus and meet his favorite professor. “My friend brought me to the admissions office where I met Larry Eby who was an English professor,” said Abba. “I said, ‘Hey Larry, I was an English major for my undergrad’ and we started talking about Shakespeare, modern drama, and classical drama. I fell in love with it (the College).” By the time Abba left campus, he had enrolled in the master’s program to earn his MBA in International Marketing.

Eby was one of two men who became important mentors to a very young and impressionable Abba – the other was another professor – Dr. Hibbital Omar. Both men provided the knowledge, experience, and encouragement that would become a strong foundation for achieving entrepreneurial success. With Eby’s mastery of English and presentation skills combined with Dr. Omar’s expertise in international marketing and business, Abba gained the tools and confidence necessary to start his own venture.

Abba graduated from GBC in 2006 with an MBA as well as the determination and willingness to do the hard work to pursue his dream. He soon began experimenting with organic ingredients for cosmetics products.

Originating from the Berber tribe in Morocco, Abba knew the intrinsic value and health benefits of argan oil which is harvested from kernels from the argan tree. In 2012, he brought one gallon to the U.S. and started packaging it in his Newark, Delaware, apartment, and that’s how organic skincare company Morgan Cosmetics was launched.

Today, Abba feels his life has been nothing short of a miracle. Although the odds were stacked against him, his hard work, passion, and determination earned him the honor of being the first in his family to graduate high school, the first to graduate college, and now the proud owner of a successful multinational corporation – Morgan Cosmetics.

Headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, Morgan Cosmetics is a premier curator for argan oil and uses the cold press method, preserving the oil in its natural state and structure. They offer the finest organic face, hair, skin, and nail care products.

With operational locations in both Morocco and Seattle, Washington, they currently offer a diverse portfolio of over 60 carefully curated products. An impressive 85% of the products sold by Morgan Cosmetics are exported to numerous countries on four continents. In addition to selling raw materials to established companies in the United States, they also create private labels for clients including The Honest Company, Alaina Huffman, and NBA player Langston Galloway.

As part of 2024 National Small Business Week, Morgan Cosmetics was honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Seattle District Office as the winner of the 2024 Regional Export Firm of the Year for the Pacific Northwest, ranking them number three out of 10 finalists in the nation for the SBA National Exporter of the Year.

Morgan Cosmetics was also honored as the 2024 SBA Exporter of the Year for the Seattle District and the 2024 Small Business of the Year by the city of Issaquah.