Shea butter
Shea butter is extracted from the kernels of the shea tree, which grows in the savannah of the Sahel. Shea butter is traditionally used for cooking, as a skin care product, to make soap and for medical purposes. Also the modern cosmetic industry has discovered the therapeutic properties of shea butter for the skin.
To take advantage of demand for organic shea butter, in 2003 three associations formed a Club to organise the organic certification:
- Association Burkinabé pour la Promotion de la Jeune Fille (ABPJF);
- Association Ragussi;
- Union des Groupements Féminins/Ce Dwane Nyee (UGF/CDN).
However, since the Club des Productrices de Beurre de Karité Biologique (CPBKB) was certified, export volume of organic butter was erratic. The project organized training for the women who collect the nuts in the villages and for the women who extract the butter at the production centres to ensure they complied with the training requirements of the organic standards. The management of the Club received training on the planning of production capacity and on cost-benefit analysis to support them in contract negotiations.
Since the 2006/07 season the Club has received consistent orders for a volume three times higher than in any year before. The Club has also become gradually less dependent on the intermediary they relied on, and since 2008 the associations have entered into a direct contractual relationship with the importer.
Furthermore, in order to improve the quality of the kernels they are pioneering a new organization of the supply chain. Until now depulping, boiling and drying of the nuts was done by the collectors and the nuts were stored in their homes. The project assists in building three village centres where this processing takes place in more controlled circumstances with proper storage facilities.