From China to Customer — Catlog and Midddleman are closing the gap
Every day, thousands of African merchants navigate foreign websites, negotiate with suppliers thousands of miles away, and move money across borders to keep their businesses running.
The people importing goods from China and selling them across Africa run serious businesses. They move inventory at scale, manage supplier relationships, and serve customers across cities and countries. Yet the infrastructure available to them has rarely matched the scale of what they're building.
Two problems. One gap.
Most merchants who import from China are fighting two battles: getting money to suppliers reliably, and turning inventory into sales once it arrives.
The gap between sourcing and selling remains fragmented, manual, and unnecessarily difficult.
Merchants often rely on multiple platforms, informal processes, and disconnected tools to keep their businesses moving. The result is more complexity, more uncertainty, and less time spent on growth.
Introducing: Catlog × Midddleman
Today, Catlog is partnering with Midddleman, a procurement platform that helps African businesses source products directly from Chinese manufacturers and suppliers, to help close that gap.
Midddleman gives merchants access to source goods from Chinese markets, make RMB payments, and move money reliably across borders.
Catlog gives merchants a storefront, payment collection, inventory management, customer records, and business tools — all from their phone.
Together, we're connecting both ends of the merchant journey:
Source products on Midddleman → Pay suppliers in RMB → Receive inventory → List products on Catlog → Sell to customers
One connected flow, from China to customer.
In simple terms: Buy with Midddleman. Sell with Catlog.
What this means for Catlog merchants
If you already have a Catlog store, you can now buy RMB directly within the Catlog app and send it to RMB wallets anywhere — powered by Midddleman's payment infrastructure. No third-party apps. No agents. No uncertainty about how to pay suppliers.
Just a simpler way to move money, place orders, and keep your business running.
What this means for Midddleman users
If you've been importing products from China but still sell primarily through chats and DMs, this partnership gives you an easier way to grow.
Create your Catlog store, showcase your products professionally, accept payments, manage orders, track customers, and keep records from the Catlog app.
As part of this partnership, Midddleman users can also enjoy a discount on Catlog subscriptions using the referral code: MIDDDLEMAN.
Why this matters
African merchants have always been resourceful. They've built thriving businesses despite fragmented systems and infrastructure that often forces them to work harder than necessary.
What happens when sourcing, payments, storefronts, and business management tools are connected, reliable, and built with African merchants in mind?
We think the answer is a generation of businesses finally equipped with infrastructure that matches their ambition.
That's what we're building toward.
And this partnership is one step in that direction.
Get started
Already on Catlog?
You can now buy RMB directly within the app and pay suppliers with ease.
New to Catlog?
Create your store in minutes and use the referral code, MIDDDLEMAN, to get a discount on your first subscription.
Importing products is only half the journey.
Selling them successfully is the other half.
