Serious Shea, an ImpactAgri enterprise based in Burkina Faso will revolutionise the country’s shea sector by enabling the sustainable sourcing, processing and export of shea butter.
In Burkina Faso, a country in West AFrica, Shea, also known as “Women’s Gold”, is sourced and processed by women. Tapping into this centuries-old, know-how and craftsmanship to produce a consistently superior product is key to the success of the end product, Grade A shea butter.
What sets Shea apart from other seed oils is the exceptionally large healing fraction (non-saponification fraction) between 7-12% compared with Avocado oil of 2-6%, enabling it to treat a wide variety of skin conditions. The healing fraction contains important nutrients, vitamins and valuable phytonutrients required for soothing, healing and preventing scarring.
Raw Shea is rich in Vitamins A, E & F and is a super-moisturiser, (the saponification fraction of shea), high in anti-oxidants, is a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal.
What with its natural components and multi-rich properties Shea butter totally lends itself to lip balms, moisturising skin products, nourishing hair and body care products, anti-ageing creams, dry-skin moisturisers and sun creams. Pure unrefined Shea butter has been used by the local African communities from mothers to babies for generations as it protects, nourishes and moisturises their skins, in particular young sensitive skins.
The combination of the excellent moisturising fraction and the exceptionally large healing fraction of Shea butter, when used regularly, can treat many skin problems, Many leading companies like L’Oreal and Bioplanete source their shea butter from this African nation.
Shea processing is a major industry in Burkina Faso; however, it still involves outdated methods: Depleting forest populations, emitting significant carbon emissions, causing a number of health and hygiene risks, and doing little to improve the socio-economic situation in the country, which remains one of the poorest of the African nations.
ImpactAgri, a turnkey provider of large-scale agribusinesses, is leading a consortium which includes sustainable development organisations, project developers, and engineering firms to improve the shea butter process in Burkina Faso by implementing Eco-Processing Centres, where the training and technology is provided to process shea butter cleanly and efficiently.
The initial development involves the implementation of 10 x clean and efficient processing centres to enable high volume and high-quality shea butter production (10,000mt / year), processing 7,500 tonnes of fruit into 3,750 tonnes of shea almonds, and 1,000 tonnes of export-quality shea butter per year.
The project has received significant grant funding from the African Development Bank and World Bank to conduct the preparation activities. The pilot centre is expected to be operational within the next 6-12 months, alone producing 1,000mt / year of high-quality shea butter and supporting 1,000s of women producers. Local women’s groups will collect and process the shea butter, where they will achieve significantly higher returns (2x – 5x current income levels), and also hold equity in the overall business entity.
Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing
ImpactAgri’s approach for the production and processing of shea butter focuses on enhancing the positive social and environmental impact of this significant Savannah belt crop. ImpactAgri wants to leave the shea belt better than when it was found, through mapping, reforestation, afforestation and agroforestry practices, coupled with the creation of physical primary processing centres ‘Eco-Processing Centers’ where many more women shea entrepreneurs can produce a consistent high quality, high volume, clean shea butter with direct access to higher value markets.
The Eco-Processing Centers are facilitating the transformation of the shea industry through innovative, climate smart, women inclusive activity with powerful environmental and social impact.
Consistent quality, volume & transparency, Clean Energy
Every center includes innovative clean processing technologies, such as efficient cookstoves and bio-digesters and renewable energy sources (e.g. solar PV and solar cookers). The Eco-Processing Centers have a neutral impact on the environment. Relying exclusively on renewable power sources including solar for dryers, biomass burners for heating water and solar PV for electricity. All waste materials are used in a circular process and recycled in other parts of the process – sludge makes a great organic fertiliser, husks make great biomass burner fuel, water for washing makes great nursery irrigation water.
Clean dry storage – Year round processing
The availability of clean dry storage for shea kernels is key to the quality of the end product, grade A shea butter. The Eco-Processing Centers are equipped with well aired storage areas in which women can store the kernels after the initial boil and dry process. This enables women to collect, prepare and store kernels during the harvest period for onward processing, year-round. The ability to provide year round income has significant impact especially when coupled with the processing of other, high value, indigenous crops such as Baobab, Neem, Desert Date or Moringa.
By women for women
ImpactAgri’s nationwide Eco-Processing Centers are facilitating the mobilisation of women into new roles in primary processing, increasing quality, quantity, and profit share. The Eco-Processing Centers are run by women for women providing jobs, stimulating the economy, and providing an end to end solution for your sustainable sourcing programme.
The women shea producers have an ownership stake in the Eco-Processing Centers. The Centers provide the producers with a physical infrastructure, a centre to come together to process shea butter and include storage and mechanisation.
For each Eco-Processing Centre that ImpactAgri builds, it commits to:
- Create shea tree nurseries to act on reforestation/afforestation by planting shea trees for the future
- Create awareness around the role of the shea tree in local communities through training
- Implement monitoring methods and mapping technology, with the support of the Burkina Faso Government, to enforce avoided deforestation and encourage precision agro-forestry.
What these Eco-Processing Centres entail for your Supply Chain
- Ensuring supply chain resilience, through the management of the working conditions, hygiene, safety for the women and controls and cleanliness for your produce
- Total transparency and full traceability throughout our shea butter production from the shea nut collection through to your end shea butter product
- Security, reliability and assurance that your grade A Shea butter is tightly monitored, continuously regulated and adheres to the global guidelines and regulations that are in force.
Link ethical sustainable sourcing to your end products through an ethical & sustainable sourcing program brought to life by:
- Promoting biodiversity and natural capital through reforestation
- Carbon-neutral shea – improve your overall carbon footprint & contribute to your Carbon Tax Offset Scheme
- Demonstrate the direct value your sourcing policies bring to rural communities in Africa
- Reducing the environmental footprint of your formulas
- Committing to zero deforestation
- Guaranteeing sustainability for raw materials.
- Shortening and strengthening your shea supply chain– go direct to the source and buy your shea butter, from the women with the skills and the know-how.
100% Environment & Forest friendly
The national programme across Burkina Faso is designed to restore, protect and develop the number of shea trees, and overall management of forested land in Burkina. This will be done through replanting, agroforestry, plant nurseries, GPS mapping & monitoring and education.
Opportunities for Partnering & Sponsorship of Eco-Processing Centres
Sponsor one of the Eco-Processing Centres and get right to the heart of the shea community. Develop ground roots understanding, relationships and knowledge on this valuable natural ingredient.
Build your Storytelling & Sustainable marketing around Shea impact
Imagine having direct access to the women who are making your sustainable, Grade A Shea. Get to know the women, get to know the process, get to know the community behind your shea butter and bring your products to life by demonstrating the real impact it has on those that produce it.
Source: http://seriousshea.com/eco-processing-centers/
