SH EA BUTTER
 The “Shea Butter Tree”
The Shea tree, also commonly known as “Shea Butter Tree” or “Karite
Tree” grows wild in the equatorial belt of central Africa between Gambia
and Sudan.
The Shea tree can live as long as two hundred years and reach up to 15
meters in height. They need between 8 to 15 years until the first harvest
and attain their production maturity stage at the age of 25.
Burkina Faso, with agroforests whose average shea density is estimated
to be 30 trees per hectare, has considerable potential and is currently the
world’s third largest producer of shea nuts after Mali and Nigeria.
 “Women’s Gold”
An ancestral tradition
A shea tree can produce around 20 kilos of fresh fruits who in turn will
render 3 to 4 kilos of dry kernels. The shea nuts enclosed in the kernels can
yield up to 50% oil.
The fruits are harvested once they have fallen to the ground in order to
ensure complete ripeness. Harvest is an activity reserved for women and it
occurs from May to August.
Once the pulp is removed from the fruit, the kernels are boiled and dried
in the sun. Following this preparation, the hull surrounding the kernels
become softer making the extraction of the shea nuts easier. The shea nuts
are therefore ready to be transformed into butter.
Women organized in groups, cooperatives, or unions sell their shea nut production on the market. Also called
“Women’s gold”, the shea nut production generates an alternative source of revenue and insures economic independence
for thousands of women in the rural areas of Burkina Faso.
Shea butter’s virtues
For centuries shea butter has been used by the native populations because of its many virtues. It is an integral part of
the daily life and economics of the West African region.
The butter is used :
in traditional cooking;
as the main product care to relax muscles and soften the skin;
to protect the skin from Harmattan (wind from the Sahara) and from the sun;
for sprains and wounds;
as after-shave for men;
as hair balm for women;
to coat babies to prevent or cure irritations;
during the pregnancy, to prevent the appearance of stretch marks;
to coat the departed with the sacred butter one last time.
 Applications
Cosmetics
Thanks to a high level of unsaponifiable matter (latex, karitene, terpene
alcohols) and tocopherols, the shea butter enters in the composition of many
cosmetics products :
Personal care
Sun care
Lipsticks
Hair care
It has real benefits :
it moisturizes, softens,
and restructures the skin
it repairs from the sun damages
it accelerates the healing of wounds
it is a hair care protector which
restores flexibility and vitality
Food
In June 2000, as part of directive 2000/36/EC, the European Union authorized the use of shea butter in the chocolate
industry as a substitute for cocoa butter (with a maximum of 5% of vegetable fat in the chocolate). The substitution was
already authorized in various regions of the world such as the United States (with a maximum of 5%), Japan (between 5%
and 8%) and Eastern Europe (up to 15%).
Shea butter has an attractive price in comparison with cocoa butter and for this reason is widely used in various
chocolate products and in coating or covering operations on cereal bars.
 Production
Shea butter factory
The Burkarina factory is located in Bobo Dioulasso, the second town of
Burkina Faso, 400 km away from the capital town Ouagadougou.
Burkarina is a subsidiary of the French company Olvea (www.olvea.fr),
specialized in the production and distribution of vegetable oils and fats for the
cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. The whole production of
Burkarina is exclusively distributed by Olvea.
Burkarina is a global supply chain provider who offers to its customers,
integrated key business processes from the original suppliers in the
villages of West Africa to worldwide end users.
Burkarina is organic certified by Ecocert and offers organic shea butter
according to NOP standards and regulation CE 889/2008.
A supply chain approach
Selection of the shea nuts
Purchase of the shea nuts in the collection areas
Quality control of the incoming shea nuts at Burkarina
Shea nuts storage
Shea butter processing through an expeller
guaranteeing its quality, without using solvent
Filtration of the crude shea butter
Quality control of the crude shea butter
Container loading on the train in Bobo Dioulasso
Shipping from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to Europe
Refining, packing and quality control in Europe
Distribution all around the world
 Sustainable development
Commitment
Burkarina is willing to contribute to the sustainable development.
Act as a socially responsible employer :
Creation of tens of long-lasting direct jobs in compliance with the local laws;
Work safety;
Continuing training of its employees : fire, hygiene, safety, etc;
Social security, bank account, etc.
A win-win relationship :
Training of the women’s group on the shea nut treatment process;
A source of incomes for hundreds of women groups;
Creation of added value for Burkina Faso;
Raising population awareness of the shea value.
Limit our ecological footprint :
Manufacturing process almost energy self-sufficient;
Localization of the production in the collection area of the shea nuts.
Association
Burkarina supports actively an independent association, by giving a part of its turnover.
This association will participate in programs that seek :
To
To
To
To
encourage the children education;
support remedial class with a creation of a library;
fight against the desertification and the drift from the land by fixing the populations;
act for the improvement of the living conditions of the local populations (free health centers, schools,...).
Our long-lasting action always has the concern of the respect for the people and their lifestyles.
 CONTACT US
E-mail : [email protected] / Website : www.burkarina.com
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