Sourcing premium quality shea butter would not be possible without the amazing West African women who harvest, process and produce shea butter. For centuries, African women have used Shea Butter for medicinal, cosmetic, and culinary purposes. These women are experts in the art of extracting Shea Butter with knowledge passed down from mother to daughter, generation to generation.
Every shea fruit that falls from the shea tree is handpicked by an African woman
Shea butter is produced by women working in cooperative groups. During the shea season (March to September) women wake up at the break of dawn and head into the savannah parklands where the shea tree grows. Some of these parklands like those in a community we visited north of Tamale are miles away from the villages. Women harvest in groups to increase the amount of nuts they can collect and also protect themselves from the attacks of the Fulani herdsmen who intimidate and rape women. They also work in collectives to keep from getting lost. They carry whistles so that if they stray from the group they can be found by others.
Quality shea butter comes directly from the source, and that is why we partner with hard-working, African women.
