Description

Shea nuts are primarily grown in West and Central Africa in the semi-arid Sahel, referred to by traders as the "Shea Belt". Vitellaria paradoxa and Vitellaria nilotica are the main varieties. Vitellaria paradoxa is exported in the largest volume and grows throughout the West African region. Vitellaria nilotica is produced primarily in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. Shea nut products, the solid fat (stearin) and the liquid (olien), are ideal for use as raw materials in cooking oil, margarine, cosmetics, soap, detergents and candles, but it has found its primary market niche as a substitute for cocoa butter in the chocolate and confectionery industry. Shea butter is extracted from shea nuts. Shea butter is used for body, hand and facial products because of its unsaponifiables content. Shea butter contains ester resins recommended for damaged skin repair, cleansing and the sun's protection. Phytosterols content helps cellular stimulation and regeneration. Shea butter contains latex, which prevents against sun allergies. Clinical studies have demonstrated that sea butter enhances capillary vessels blood activity, increasing oxygenation and metabolic residues elimination. At Sekaf, we piloted our own scheme to process shea butter at the community level, in a collaborative commercial project with a village in the northern region of Ghana. We have also adapted our own traditional boiling extraction process to produce a consistently high quality butter. Part of our success lies in our outstanding and strong position in Ghana's Shea nut export. We have a well developed Shea nut buying network, which procures high quality nuts. Our experience with our buying network has meant that the nuts used for our shea butter extraction have been very low in free fatty acids (FFA)