Adam & Eve (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Adult merchandise, E-commerce |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Tim Black, Phil Harvey |
| Headquarters | Hillsborough, North Carolina , United States |
Area served | United States, Asia-Pacific |
| Products | Condoms, sex toys, erotic literature, adult toys |
| Parent | PHE Inc. |
Adam & Eve is a U.S.-based independent enterprise focused on e-commerce distribution of adult merchandise. By 2004, it had established itself as the nation’s leading mail-order supplier of condoms, sex toys, and erotic literature. Its parent organization, PHE Inc., ranks as the largest private employer in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where its main offices are situated. Additionally, the company contributes to non-profit initiatives addressing population growth, disease prevention, and sexual education in developing nations.
Origins
The company was established in 1970 by British doctor Tim Black and American businessperson and philanthropist Phil Harvey. Initially, Adam & Eve operated a modest retail outlet in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, retailing condoms and lubricants. It soon transitioned into a mail-order catalog business distributing contraceptives outside traditional medical channels.
While pursuing graduate studies at the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health with a focus on family planning and population studies, Black and Harvey founded the enterprise to financially support non-profit family-planning efforts abroad. Backed by a Ford Foundation fellowship, they implemented social marketing techniques domestically, employing bold advertising language and promoting condoms through mail order and university newspapers. Despite restrictions imposed by the Comstock Act—only fully repealed in 1972—they tapped into a neglected mail-order condom market, generating initial profits that propelled the company’s expansion.
Population Services International
Once revenues covered operational expenses, the founders investigated whether profits from condom sales could independently sustain international social-marketing programs. This inquiry led to the creation of Population Services International (PSI), which by 1975 was actively marketing condoms in Bangladesh and Kenya. Although Harvey resigned as director in the late 1970s, PSI remains active in over 60 countries, continuing to distribute contraceptives and health-related products while maintaining a significant role in global family planning.
DKT International
In 1989, Harvey launched DKT International (DKT), an organization dedicated to family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. DKT’s primary income derives from selling affordable contraceptives, supplemented by Adam & Eve’s contribution of more than 25% of its profits. While government agencies and philanthropic foundations provide substantial funding, private donations afford DKT operational autonomy. Its social marketing approach involves customized advertising campaigns, region-specific branding efforts, collaborations with local institutions including military organizations, and targeting populations at elevated risk—thereby strengthening its influence within reproductive health markets.
Company overview
In addition to its flagship Adam & Eve line of adult toys, the company markets an extensive selection of products designed for men, women, and couples. Beginning in 2004, it commenced franchising retail outlets both domestically and internationally. The firm broadened its international footprint in 2019 by acquiring Excite Group—Australia’s premier online adult goods retailer—thereby increasing its market presence across the Asia-Pacific region. The company has also engaged in corporate social responsibility activities, such as making a donation to the Free Speech Coalition in 2009.