Shea Butter A Guide to Production and Marketing - AGOA Export ...

SHEA BUTTER 

A Guide to Production and Marketing 

Peace Corps Ghana

Peace Corps Ghana Version 1, March 2008 

This manual was developed for Peace Corps Volunteers, by Peace Corps Volunteers, 

in an effort to preserve the knowledge we have gained from working with groups at 

the producer level, companies who buy and export shea butter, and the various 

organizations and government agencies that you may encounter when working with 

shea. 

• Sarah Brabeck, PCV Fiang Upper West Region (2006-07) 

• Michael Fravel, PCV Hian Upper West Region (20006-07) 

• Bill Reinecke , PCV Savelugu Northern Region (2006-07) 

• Paul Sari, PCV Tamale Northern Region (2006-07) 

• Jennifer Schneidman, PCV Nangodi Upper East Region (2006-07) 

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David McNally 

APCD/SED 

March 2008


Table of Contents 

1: The Biology of Shea ..................................................................................................4 

Where do Shea trees live?..........................................................................................4 

Life Cycle...................................................................................................................4 

Cultivation and Transplantation.................................................................................5 

How to Make Shea Butter..........................................................................................5 

A Little Shea Chemistry.............................................................................................6 

2: Uses of Shea..............................................................................................................7 

Traditional Products7 

Other Traditional Uses of Shea butter .......................................................................7 

Traditional Non-Butter Uses......................................................................................8 

Industrial Uses ...........................................................................................................9 

3: The Shea Market......................................................................................................10 

4: The Shea Value Chain .............................................................................................11 

5: Working at the Producer Level................................................................................12 

Group Dynamics ......................................................................................................12 

Roles Within a Group ..............................................................................................13 

Identifying Your Market..........................................................................................13 

Processing Equipment & Machinery .......................................................................14 

Cooperative Registration .........................................................................................14 

6. Stories from the Field..............................................................................................16 

Shea Butter Extractor’s Women’s Group: Lessons Learned ...................................16 

AN EXAMPLE OF COSTING ...............................................................................19 

Break-Even Analysis from a UNDP study based near Tamale ...............................20 

7: Supporting Actors in the Shea Industry/Contacts....................................................21 

NGOs and Companies Involved in the Ghanaian Shea Industry.............................21 

Major International Companies in the Shea Industry: .............................................21 

Local Buyers in Ghana (Nuts & Butter) ..................................................................21 

8. Appendices..............................................................................................................23 

Appendix 1. Value-added to selling price of shea butter cosmetics.......................24 

Appendix 2. Ghana Shea SS MAP (from SNV Ghana)..........................................25 

Appendix 3. Traditional Shea Processing (adapted from Dr. Peter Lovett). ..........26 

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1: The Biology of Shea 

Where do Shea trees live? 

Ghana is lucky. Ghana and Burkina have the best shea butter in the world. Why? 

Because the shea nuts here have the most desirable chemical balance, and the 

traditional processing methods create a very clean butter. 

The shaded areas depict rainfall values. The small grey dots show areas of shea trees 

(Vitellaria paradoxa) in West Africa. The white dots are a different variety of shea 

trees in East Africa. 

Life Cycle 

As deforestation becomes a bigger problem in Ghana, the availability of shea nuts and 

butter is directly impacted. Bushfires, cutting of trees for firewood and destructive 

farming methods are all factors that affect the availability of shea nuts. Currently, 

local people and NGOs are more interested in protecting and cultivating shea trees. 

Understanding the life cycle of shea is essential to the survival of the shea butter 

business. 

The number of years for a tree to reach maturity, and therefore produce fruit, is up for 

debate, but it is generally accepted to be 3-5 years. Many people will argue that it 

requires 15 or even 20 years to fruit, but ask them how many trees they have planted. 

Information on lifespan of shea trees is sparse. 

The shea fruit is generally ripe from mid-May through the end of July. There is some 

variation due to location and rainfall. The fruit is edible and tasty. Mature nuts come 

from fruits that have fallen to the ground, so women will forage for fallen fruit, either 

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from the farm or any nearby forest. Butter processing is usually performed from June 

through August. 

Cultivation and Transplantation 

It has not been a common cultural practice to plant shea. Even some areas have strong 

taboos against planting shea, but families’ financial needs are beginning to overturn 

those beliefs. You can now find many people who are eager to propagate shea. And 

here’s how: 

The whole process takes time. Usually around 9 months the seedling will be visible 

above ground. And after one year, the seedling can be transplanted into the field. 

Transplanting should be done during rainy season, so the roots can fully develop 

before the dry season. 

How to Make Shea Butter * 

The shea nut is chock full of so many things- some desirable, some not. So the 

harvesting and post-harvest processing affect which of those things, desirable or not, 

are in the butter. As quality is the key factor to selling shea butter, it is important to 

understand the chemistry behind shea butter. Most women who process shea butter 

know all of this practical knowledge, so to learn how to make shea butter, it is best to 

go watch these local professionals. 

Here is a brief summary of the 12 steps to make shea butter from harvested shea nuts: 

* (see Annex 3 for a more detailed presentation) 

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1. Harvest the nuts from the farm 

2. Accumulate in piles or pits 

3. Heat the nuts – boil (preferred) or roast 

4. Dry the whole nuts (if boiled) 

5. De-husk the nuts to get kernels (usually cracked by hand!) 

6. Dry the kernels & store in a secure place 

STOP HERE IF END PRODUCT IS NUTS, FOR BUTTER – CONTINUE 

STEPS 7-12 

7. Crush the kernels 

8. Dry roast the crushed kernels 

9. Mill or pounded/grind into a paste 

10. Kneaded (water-boiled or pressed) to form an emulsion to separate fats 

11. Boil the oil (fat) to dry and clean by decanting to clarify the butter 

12. Prepare for use, sale , or storage (cooled oil will congeal into solid 

white/cream colored butter) 

Typically the ratio of butter to nuts is approximately 3-to-1. 

A Little Shea Chemistry 

What are the important chemical components in shea Butter? 

• Free Fatty Acids 

• Peroxides 

• Impurities 

• Moisture 

Free Fatty Acids are undesirable. FFAs cause too much variation in the shea butter, 

and makes it difficult for production in factories. How can we insure less FFAs? Time 

and heat are both our friends. Producers should select mature nuts instead of unripe 

nuts. Women know this, that’s why they forage for fallen ripe fruit instead of picking 

them from trees. Heat also denatures FFAs. Boiling is part of the shea butter process, 

so it is also important not to under boil the butter. Once again, the women know this. 

The downside of boiling is an increase in peroxides. Why are peroxides bad? They 

denature the antioxidants, which are the natural protection of shea butter. But don’t 

fear, most women know how long to boil the butter so that the FFAs and peroxides 

are both minimized. 

Impurities such as water, metal, and dirt can be difficult to keep out. Some 

precautionary measures include using sealed containers, taking care when grinding, 

and filtering butter. A little extra work can go a long way. 

Moisture is another enemy. Fungus can easily grow and spoil vast amounts of butter 

from just a small amount of moisture. This can be prevented by boiling, storing nuts 

in jute sacks instead of fertilizer bags, and not adding water to the finished butter. 

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It may seem like a lot of hard work, but in the end it pays off when you see a 

container of beautiful creamy, pure shea butter. 

2: Uses of Shea 

Shea has so many uses that we turned to the experts at Cocoa Research Institute of 

Ghana. The following is an excerpt from a case study done in 2002: 

The shea nut serves as one of the main sources of livelihood for the rural women and 

children who are engaged in its gathering. Shea butter is the main edible oil for the 

people of northern Ghana, being the most important source of fatty acids and glycerol 

in their diet. It is an unguent for the skin. It also has anti-microbial properties, which 

gives it a place in herbal medicine. It is also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic 

industries as an important raw material and/or a precursor for the manufacture of 

soaps, candles, and cosmetics. Shea butter is used as a sedative or anodyne for the 

treatment of sprains, dislocations and the relief of minor aches and pains. Other 

important uses include its use as an anti-microbial agent for promotion of rapid 

healing of wounds, as a pan-releasing agent in bread baking and as a lubricant for 

donkey carts. Its by-products, the brown solid that is left after extracting the oil and 

the hard protective shell, are used as a water-proofing material on the walls of mudbuildings 

to protect them from the eroding forces of the wind and rain. Poor quality 

butter is not only applied to earthen walls but also to doors, windows, and even 

beehives as a waterproofing agent (Marchand, 1988). In a traditional setting, shea 

butter of poor quality is used as an illuminant (or fuel, in lamps or as candles). 

Traditional Products 

Oil has played an important part in the local economies in west and central sub- 

Saharan Africa for centuries. It is reported that the initial traditional roles have not 

changed significantly since 1830, when the French explorer Roger Caillie described 

them during his trek across West Africa. In Roger Caillie’s own words as reported in 

Hall et al., 1996, “the indigenous people trade with it, they eat it and rub their bodies 

with it; they also burn it to make light; they assure me that it is a very beneficial 

remedy against aches and pains and sores and wounds for which it is applied as an 

unguent”. Today the shea tree produces the second most important oil crop in Africa 

after oil palm (Poulsen, 1981), but as it grows in areas unsuitable for palm, it takes on 

primary importance in West Africa, and in regions where annual precipitation is less 

than 1000mm of rainfall. However, it loses popularity in urban areas within these 

regions due to the pungent odor it emits, should it become rancid (Ayeh, 1981b). 

Other Traditional Uses of Shea butter 

As a cosmetic, it is used as a moisturizer, for dressing hair (Dalziel, 1937, Ezema & 

Ogujiofor, 1992) and for protection against the weather and sun. It is used as a rub to 

relieve rheumatic and joint pains and is applied to activate healing in wounds and in 

cases of dislocation, swelling and bruising. It is widely used to treat skin problems 

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such as dryness, sunburn, burns, ulcers and dermatitis (Vuillet, 1911; Bonkoungou, 

1987) and to massage pregnant women and small children (Marchand, 1988). 

Having a high melting point of between (32-45°C) and being close to body 

temperature are attributes that make it particularly suitable as a base for ointments and 

medicines (Bonkoungou, 1987). It is also used to treat horses internally and externally 

for girth galls and other sores. The healing properties of shea butter are believed to be 

partly attributable to the presence of allantoin, a substance known to stimulate the 

growth of healthy tissue in ulcerous wounds (Wallace-Bruce, 1995). It is used as 

“white oil” to anoint the dead in Niger (Castinal, 1945), and is placed in traditional 

ritual shrines. 

Refuse water from production of shea butter is used as a termite repellent (Dalziel, 

1937). In Burkina Faso, shea butter is used to protect against insect (Callosobruchus 

maculatus) damage to cowpeas (Vigna sp.). Research has shown that after treatment 

with shea butter a reduction occurs in the life span and fertility of the insects and 

hence the infestation rate. Shea butter, however, is not as effective as cottonseed or 

groundnut oil (Pereira, 1983; Owusu-Manu, 1991). 

Traditional Non-Butter Uses 

The shea tree is sacred to many ethnic groups and plays an important role in religious 

ceremonies (Vuillet, 1911; Millee, 1984). 

Flowers, Fruits, and Nuts 

Some ethnic groups make the flowers into edible fritters (Chevalier, 1949). The fruit 

pulp, being a valuable food source, is also taken for its slightly laxative properties 

(Soladoye et al., 1989). Although not widespread, shea nut cake is used for cattle feed 

(Salunkhe and Desai, 1986), and also eaten raw by children (Faegri, 1966; Farinu, 

1986). The residual meal, as in the case with shea butter, is also used as a 

waterproofing agent to repair and mend cracks in the exterior walls of mud huts, 

windows, doors and traditional beehives. The sticky black residue, which remains 

after the clarification of the butter, is used for filling cracks in hut walls (Greenwood, 

1929; Marchand, 1988) and as a substitute for kerosene when lighting firewood 

(Wallance-Bruce, 1995). The husks reportedly make a good mulch and fertiliser 

(FAO, 1988b), and are also used as fuel on three stone fires. 

Foliage 

Leaves are used as medicine to treat stomachache in children (Millee, 1984). A 

decoction of young leaves is used as a vapor bath for headaches in Ghana. The leaves 

in water form a frothy opalescent liquid, with which the patient’s head is bathed. A 

leaf decoction is also used as an eye bath (Abbiw, 1990; Louppe, 1994). The leaves 

are a source of saponin, which lathers in water and can be used for washing (Abbiw, 

1990). When a woman goes into labor, branches may be hung in the doorway of her 

hut to protect the newborn baby. Branches may also be used for covering the dead 

prior to their burial (Agbahungba & Depommier, 1989). 

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Roots 

The roots are used as chewing sticks in Nigeria, most commonly in savannah areas 

(Isawumi, 1978). Roots and root bark are ground to a paste and taken orally to cure 

jaundice (Ampofo, 1983). These are also used for treatment of diarrhoea and 

stomachache (Millee, 1984). Mixed with tobacco, the roots are used as a poison by 

the Jukun of northern Nigeria. Chronic sores in horses are treated with boiled and 

pounded root bark (Dalziel, 1937). 

Bark 

Infusions of the bark have shown to have selective anti-microbial properties, as being 

effective against Sarcina lutha and Staphylococcus mureas but not mycobacterium 

phlei (Malcolm & Sofowora, 1969). Macerated with the bark of Ceiba pentandra, and 

salt, bark infusions have been used to treat cattle with worms in the Tenda region of 

Senegal and Guinea (Ferry et al., 1974). The infusions have been used to treat leprosy 

in Guinea Bissau (Dalziel, 1937) and for gastric problems (Booth and Wickens, 1988) 

as well as for diarrhoea or dysentery (Soladoye et al., 1989). A bark decoction is used 

in the Cote d’Ivoire in baths and therapeutic sitz-baths to facilitate delivery of women 

in labour, and is drunk to encourage lactation after delivery (Abbiw, 1990; Soladoye 

et al., 1989; Louppe, 1994). However, in northern Nigeria such a concoction is said to 

be lethal, (Dalziel, 1937). 

A bark infusion is used as an eyewash to neutralise the venom of the spitting cobra 

(Soladoye et al 1989) and also, in Ghana, as a footbath to help extract jiggers. 

Greenwood (1929) noted that the stripping of bark for medicinal purposes may have a 

severe impact on the health of shea trees and may even be fatal. The wood is only 

used when individual trees are not valued for butter production. The latex is heated 

and mixed with palm oil to make glue (Hall et al., 1996). It is chewed as a gum and 

made into balls for children to play with (Louppe, 1994). In Burkina Faso, Bobo 

musicians use it to repair cracked drums and punctured drumheads (Millee, 1984). It 

contains only 15-25% of carotene and, therefore, is not suitable for the manufacture of 

rubber (André, 1947a,b). 

Industrial Uses 

Research into the properties and potential industrial uses of shea butter began in the 

first few decades of the last century. Previously, it was used in edible fats and 

margarine, and was only beginning to attract the soap and perfume industry when 

interest ceased because of the 2nd World War. Revival of the shea industry after the 

war suffered serious setbacks from an insufficient pricing mechanism, logistical 

problems of transport (low availability and unpredictable) unable to cope with the 

supply of the nuts, thus making the ventures economically non-viable. During the mid 

1960s shea trade re-emerged when Japanese traders joined their European 

counterparts, which saw a considerable expansion of the industry, particularly in the 

cosmetics and confectionery industry barely a decade thereafter. 

Shea butter has several industrial applications, but the majority of kernels 

(approximately 95%) provide an important raw material for Cocoa Butter Replacers 

(CBRs), and are used for manufacturing chocolate and other confectionery. Minor 

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uses include cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The export market for CBRs is shared by 

Unilever (UK), Arhus (Denmark), Fuji Itoh and Kaneka-Mitsubishi (Japan). 

3: The Shea Market 

The Shea Market: Local and International 

The local and international shea markets are two very different buyers with the 

international market having strict specifications while the local market uses shea 

butter for its traditional uses. These two markets are beginning to conflict with each 

other as demand forshea butter increases on the international market. As the 

international market demand increases, the price of nuts and butter in the local market 

increases at the same time. The high demands have made local shea butter and nuts 

less affordable on the local market creating an interesting situation for local 

consumers and producers. 

The Local Market: 

The local shea market exists because of the women of Ghana. There are men who 

trade in nuts and work in processing but women are the primary pickers, processors 

and sellers of shea butter in the local marketplace. The majority of shea butter 

consumption in Ghana is in the raw form for cooking and skin care. Some local shea 

butter is processed to make soaps that are sold in the market as well. The processors 

sell directly to the end consumer in the local market. Very little is packaged, labeled 

or certified before sale and it is sold in small balls or bowls in major markets 

throughout the country (Northern regions?). 

The International Market: 

The world’s biggest international markets for shea butter are in Europe and North 

America. Shea is used primarily for skin care cosmetics and for medicinal and 

cooking products. The industry is extremely competitive and is dominated by about 

six large international companies (see section 7). Supply to the major companies on 

the international market is typically done by another organization within Ghana that 

buys nuts and processes butter to the specifications of the major buyer. These 

contracts are very big and have extremely strict quality requirements. Communities 

in Ghana generally supply the nuts to local buyers who in turn supply the international 

companies with bulked shea nuts or butter. There are also certain organizations 

buying shea butter from individual communities but standard quality is a challenge. 

Increasingly due to corporate responsability, certain companies like Savannah Fruits 

Company, although relatively small, have been working to attain quality commercial 

production while supporting rural women’s groups. 

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The number one concern for international buyers is “perceived quality” before price. 

For edible products the major market is in Europe and India and the butter extraction 

and refining is done there. The major cosmetic and soap industry is in the United 

States and is known as the most lucrative global shea butter market. The majority of 

shea butter consumed internationally is mixed into a finished product containing a 

percentage of shea butter. The finished products in North America tend to have high 

tech containers and extensive marketing campaigns behind them and are high end 

products. Less than ten percent is used by the final consumer in its raw form. 

Shea nuts grow in 20 countries in the world, all of which are in Africa. The Export 

season is from August to April each year. It is estimated that 150,000 – 200,000 

tonnes of nuts are exported each year from West Africa, 50,000 tonnes (approx. 33%) 

coming from Ghana alone. The nuts are shipped out of West Africa mainly from 

ports in Dakar, Senegal, Lome, Togo and Tema, Ghana. 

4: The Shea Value Chain 

What’s a Value Chain? 

PCVs see shea butter at both extremes. Here in Ghana, we see it in the form of balls 

of local butter sold for around GH 0.50. In the US, we saw fancy cosmetic products 

sitting on supermarket shelves that sold for around $20. Where is that value added to 

the product? Who is making that profit? 

It will help to look at the shea butter value chain. A Value Chain includes all those 

groups involved at different levels of producing a single product. When considering 

shea, the members in a value chain are usually as follows: 

Nut 

Producers 

Nut 

Traders 

Butter 

Producers 

Each member of the chain affects the product. Each member also depends on the 

other members of the chain for supply and income. A chain is not supposed to be 

intra-competitive. Instead, the entire chain functions in union to compete with other 

chains (e.g. in other countries/markets). The value of the product is shared along the 

chain, meaning each member of the chain receives some income for their work. That 

causes the increase in price from local to foreign markets 

Strengths and Weaknesses of a Value Chain 

Although the members of the Value Chain are not intended to compete, the system is 

not perfect. Each member will have needs that counter the needs of other members. 

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Traders 

Nut and 


Exporters 

Producers 

of Food and 

Cosmetics


For example, The butter buyer wants to buy butter at the lowest price. Meanwhile the 

butter seller wants to sell at the highest price. Still there are many benefits to a Value 

Chain as compared to a traditional business relationship. First, Value Chains provide 

for better information sharing among all members. A butter buyer will offer quality 

feedback or make packaging requests of the butter seller. The butter seller can ask the 

buyer for help with transportation. Also, the Value Chain as a whole is competing 

with other chains, so the focus will shift from profit to quality. If the end result is poor 

quality butter, consumers won’t be interested and the whole chain will suffer. 

As you go up each step of the chain, the level of education, time, and other resources 

increases. When deciding where on the Value Chain you want to be, consider the 

level of education and resources available to the group. It may not be possible for 

your group to export directly to a US company, but maybe you can connect them to a 

buyer of shea butter, educate producers on quality standards, provide local producers 

with market information, link producers to buyers, or help source funding for a 

grinding mill or other equipment to increase production. 

In rural villages, price is definitely the most talked about problem. The most 

important thing is to account for all costs in the production of the butter and cross 

check for profit or loss. Butter buyers complain more about consistency and quality. 

At the end of the chain there is a huge factory processing chocolate, and they want all 

ingredients to be standardized. And the occasional stick or dead bug may seem like no 

big deal to the market women, but L’Oreal will freak out. 

5: Working at the Producer Level 

Most likely, as a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will be working with Producer Groups. 

This section addresses some of the issues to consider when working at this end of the 

Value Chain. 

Group Dynamics 

Most communities have women's groups that form and come together for a 

variety of reasons, but most likely for economic support. When considering shea 

butter processing as an economic venture, forming establishing a well structured 

women's group is imperative. As with any group that aims to be functional and 

effective in its capacities, certain roles and responsibilities must first be designated to 

rightful people in that group. Having proper knowledge of the personalities and 

characters of the group is a great asset in learning who would best assume a particular 

leadership role. 

Women already have deep relationships with the other women in their communities 

and know who the natural leaders of the group are. Sometimes, however, members are 

elected to higher positions of the group based on social standing in the community 

(for example being the wife of a big man in the community) and not necessarily the 

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leadership skills that would designate her as the right person for the position. This is 

a delicate issue, but may require attention to ensure the vitality of the group. 

Roles Within a Group 

Try holding a meeting with interested women in your community and discussing the 

roles necessary for group management. When becoming engaged in shea processing 

with bigger buyers, groups should have at least the following positions to help 

manage the group: 

1. A Chairwoman to call and facilitate meetings, communicate current 

information, and guide the larger decisions of the group 

2. A Vice Chairwoman to assist the Chairwoman and to serve as Acting 

Chairwoman in her absence. 

3. A Treasurer to collect and record meeting dues and money distribution 

amongst the group 

4. A Secretary to write minutes, monitor producing groups (if in different 

locations), and keep records of the activities of the group. 

Identifying Your Market 

One of the most important things to do in establishing your group is to identify your 

markets. Different markets require different levels of group development, skills and 

resources to satisfy the demands for that particular market. For example, some women 

come together and produce butter in larger quantities for local markets around their 

area striving for a reputation as having better butter quality than their local 

competitors. Other groups who have more resources and management knowledge may 

gain access to medium size buyers within the region and be able to sell in quantity at 

whatever desired quality. Some well developed groups have earned the trust to 

contract with larger private companies that might have more strict demands on 

quantity at quality with strict deadlines to fulfill orders. What is best is a matter of 

opinion and depends on whatever circumstances face your particular group and 

processing location. 

Assessing your group's capacity is vital to determining your markets. Here are some 

key questions to ask: 

• What is the level of commitment and seriousness upon your group? 

• Is there strong leadership? 

• How many available processors are there and what are their time constraints? 

• Do your women pick their own nuts during the season or do they buy them 

from surrounding communities? 

• What level of quality are you capable of producing? 

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Processing Equipment & Machinery 

Once you have assessed your capacity, you should be able to make some decisions 

about the needs of the group in order to serve the market you are targeting. You may 

consider acquiring machinery in some cases to speed up the processing, for example. 

Machines are expensive, but so are milling charges in many producing areas, 

especially smaller villages where people don’t produce commercially and competition 

is little. You may want to do a cost/benefit analysis based on the quantity your buyers 

are requesting and the price they are offering. Each situation is unique. Machinery 

may be beneficial, or it could be an added burden to the group. 

Cooperative Registration 

Another thing to consider for your group/groups is cooperative registration. Acquiring 

the status as a legitimate cooperative offers many benefits. For instance, coop status 

qualifies you to receive check ups, monitoring and trainings from the Cooperative 

Office in your district. Every district should have a District of Cooperatives Officer 

who you can contact and learn about the necessary procedures to apply for coop 

status. They can visit and interact with the groups and walk them through the steps 

required for registration. Once registered, The District Cooperative Officer will come 

periodically or upon request to share new information and opportunities with the 

group. They can provide information regarding new loan programs or other forms of 

support that the coop may qualify for. 

Being listed under the Cooperative Department allows district officers to more easily 

identify viable communities in the district and extend the benefits that come their 

way. Cooperative registration can also increase the marketability of the group. Several 

bigger buyers require or prefer to work with coops, as it denotes a higher level of 

organization within the group, creditability and accountability. Coops are a legal 

entity of their own. Groups that register as coops also enjoy access to more forms of 

support. If you want to apply for a loan to acquire processing machinery or some 

working capital, this title will pave your way. 

There are some requirements to gain cooperative status. The group has to prove their 

creditability by demonstrating solid organization and management skills within their 

circle. That requires strong leadership and elected roles, an active bank account (at a 

Rural Bank is fine), proof of record keeping from their meetings, histories including 

minutes and collected dues, and a registration fee. This fee is a one time up front fee 

of 5 new Ghana Cedis (2007) paid to the district office. It puts you in the system and 

lines you up for all the perks listed above. In my personal experience, the cooperative 

officer in my district has been extremely helpful and responsive to our needs. 

Many times, very few of the women you work with are educated or literate. 

Developing the necessary management skills is a challenge in such cases, but 

organizing training on recordkeeping, financial planning, and small business 

management will benefit the group greatly in the long run. Start with inquiring at your 

local district assembly on current programs for these trainings. They often have 

funding for such things and links to other local organizations who work directly with 

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building groups organizational capacity. I have found NBSSI (National Board for 

Small Scale Industries), SNV (a Dutch NGO), Technoserve and World Vision, among 

others, to be very active players involved with group development. 

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6. Stories from the Field 

Shea Butter Extractor’s Women’s Group: Lessons Learned 

One of my counterparts and I propositioned a private company (we’ll call it ABC 

Company) about providing them with high quality shea butter for export to U.S. and 

European markets. The owners of the company were out of the country and the 

company was in a crunch to fulfill an order. The field assistant agreed to meet with us 

about the possibilities of working together. We let the representative know that we 

had 30 women ready to make shea butter under their strict quality control guidelines 

and within the timeframe needed. The company agreed to test the women’s ability 

and quality of butter with a 2,000 kilogram order (that’s 2 tons or 4,000lbs) at a preset 

price. The women would get half of the money up front and then the rest upon 

delivery. The company would provide packaging and pick up the butter from the 

village. My counterpart and I figured the costs of production and profit desired and 

decided the price the company was willing to pay was worth it. 

Everyone seemed happy. The women were especially excited to be a part of a group 

(this is an understatement – they were thrilled!). The women were now the Kalpohin 

Shea Butter Extractors Association! More importantly, to them, they could tell other 

women of their village of 5,000 that they belonged to something. They were so 

proud. Note to self – It was time to set expectations to the group that this is a new 

venture and we must proceed carefully and with much caution. Who could know if 

this was something that would continue? Constant communication would prove to be 

key. 

As a requirement from the company, my counterpart set up a bank account for the 

newly formed women’s group. The bank in turn required GH¢200 to get the account 

up and we used the women’s own money. The account was necessary for 

transparency purposes for the company and made good sense to the group so they 

could easily receive and keep track of monies received and earned. My counterpart 

would act as the accountant, manager, and liaison between the group and any outside 

buyers for the women since none of the women spoke English. 

Once the money was received from ABC Company, the women went right to work. 

This was where problems started. Not until after the money was received and the 

women were well in to production was the group informed that they needed to 

provide their own scale to weigh the butter for packaging. My counterpart tried for 

two weeks to find a scale and when he did, the women were nearly done making the 

butter. The women even used their own money to buy more nuts to cover the total 

amount needed to complete the order. I was unaware they spent their own money to 

complete the order, but was impressed at their eagerness to finish the product in the 

timeframe requested by the buyer. 

Once the scale was in place my counterpart and the women began weighing and 

packaging the butter. Everything seemed on track until the ABC Company sent one 

of their field assistants out to check the status of the order. When they weighed the 

order, it was below the required amount by 25%! We concluded that the scale that the 

villagers used was faulty. The second blow was that the women spent all the money 

Page 16 of 28


they were given and half of their own money (the money they assumed the company 

would reimburse them), but they only produced 1,500kgs of butter. If ABC Company 

paid them for only 1,500kgs the women would be at a loss! Oi! 

This was a crisis and the owners of the business were still out of country. What 

would we do!? We were in limbo for some weeks. I met with my counterpart to go 

over all our numbers and costs. We spent hours and hours double checking figures. 

Everything seemed fine with our calculations. I met with the women multiple times 

to talk with them about the situation. I learned that they had informed others of the 

village and that the whole village was on stand-by to see how the ABC Company, 

made up of non-Ghanaians, would handle the situation. I’m not sure what the 

implications were, but I know that they were not happy and it seemed like bad things 

could happen if things weren’t resolved amicably. 

After hours of pouring over the cost data I acquired from the company and our own 

calculations, it appeared it was really no one’s fault except for a weighing scale’s. 

That coupled with low yielding shea nuts (this particular season was now proving to 

yield low butter from nuts due to lack of rains). 

The good news was the women produced excellent butter in a timely manner. It was 

packaged neatly and ready for delivery even before the company was ready to receive 

it. 

The main lesson learned for me as a facilitator: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained 

(even if it’s just knowledge). When you go into a new venture, you take chances and 

even if you are very careful to reduce your risks, there are still risks. This entire issue 

may have been avoided had the company doubled checked the village's scale 

measurements upon the first batch of butter made, but would that have been a 

reasonable expectation? Perhaps yes, for a newly formed group such as ours, 

however, the company was spreading itself thin trying to cover this particular order. 

But then again the scale issue was uncommon; why should the company think that a 

scale would be off by 25% when it hadn’t happened before? Even if an issue was 

detected, this may have meant the order would have been cancelled because the 

problem then would lie with the nuts that the women purchased which were yielding 

low butter. Then the women would have been left with a bunch of nuts and a 

cancelled order. 

Communication with my counterpart and the women was important during this entire 

process. This is where I feel things went well. I stayed in constant contact with them 

through the process and met with them frequently to insure them that we were all in 

this together and my counterpart and I were working hard to represent them to this 

outside foreign company. I did not want them to think I was conspiring with anyone 

to take advantage of them. 

Also, my relationship with the company helped smooth things over, as well. I knew 

one of the owners and one of the field assistants. We discussed things thoroughly and 

we all came to an agreement to chalk this up to no one’s fault, but it would mean a 

loss for the company. They graciously agreed to reconcile the initial amount agreed 

to be paid to the women without making the women produce more butter, which 

would mean a loss to them. I knew this would provide a hit to the company, but 

Page 17 of 28


luckily, the company had the vision to see that the right thing to do was take the loss 

and move on. 

The bad news is that the company will mostly likely not use this group again. While 

they are in a village, they are so close to a large town they have to go to markets to 

buy nuts, which mean they pay more, and therefore the shea butter costs more. If they 

were more remote, they could collect the nuts themselves, cutting out the middleman 

(or middlewoman) so to speak. 

The good news is the group is not through. We are on hold though, and we have 

learned quite a bit in our new experience. There is plenty of demand for shea butter. 

My next step is to work with my counterpart on contacting other organizations who 

would like to purchase shea butter where production cost is not as much of an issue. 

This should not be too difficult. 

One more lesson learned is costing the production of the butter to insure the women 

receive a fair price. This is not easy. I worked with my women to figure out every 

cost in detail. Even when I did this, I later learned there were other costs (hidden 

costs). Hidden costs can be a women feeding someone or paying them to assist them. 

Or, variable costs; for example, the price of nuts is hard to determine – are they 

buying a rounded bowl or flat bowl? Our buyer wanted to price things by bag of shea 

nuts, but the women buy in bowls – another potential issue. In addition, in leaner 

seasons where there may be less rain, the nuts may yield less butter and you may not 

know this until you produce the butter. All these factors need to be taken in to 

consideration. 

I’m wrapping up my service so I haven’t had time to resolve all these issues. One 

thought would be for a firm they work with to purchase the nuts up front and simply 

pay the women for their labor and cost of production. 

There is big potential for village women to get more involved in the shea butter export 

industry. Especially due to the rise of large and small businesses alike wanting to 

purchase anything from low quality shea butter to high quality certified organic or 

certified fair trade shea butter for use in their products. Don’t underestimate the 

demand from small companies willing to pay slightly higher prices for more niche 

markets. Opportunities selling shea butter, both in country and to exporters, is 

growing rapidly. It’s up to the new wave of PCVs to continue to help improve and 

support the women to insure they are truly getting fair prices while giving them the 

satisfaction and pride of being a part of a team; helping them improve the lives of 

their families; and passing on the shea butter production trade to future generations. 

Page 18 of 28


AN EXAMPLE OF COSTING 

SHEA BUTTER COST OF PRODUCTION 

(Kalophin Shea Butter Extractors Assoc) 

Order = 2 TONS (4000 Lbs or 2000 Kgs) 

40 WOMEN TOTAL 

50 Kgs EACH = 2000 Kgs 

Cost breakdown to produce 1 kg of shea butter for a 2000 kg order, as 

of 24 July 2007 

Cost 

Cost Item Cost Per Kg 

Bowl of shea nuts 

Firewood 

7,500.00 

30,000.00 

7,500.00 

15.00 

Assuming 1 

bowl nuts = 1 

kg butter 

Milling 

Transportation to 

30,000.00 15.00 

processing point 15,000.00 7.50 

DA Tax 1,000.00 0.50 

Total Cost 7,538.00 

Profit Item 

Profit 

Per Kg Total 

Profit For Administrator 50.00 100,000.00 

Profit For Women 1,000.00 2,000,000.00 

Total Profit Per Woman (40 women) 50,000.00 

Total Cost with Profit 8,588.00 

Other possible variable: 

Packaging 

Transportation to Buyer 

For those interested in creating shea butter women’s groups, this is an opportunity to 

develop the skill set of an administrator and/or help a group of women improve their 

lives and their families. Another benefit is that if the group is successful, the younger 

women of the village would be more likely to continue with this craft and less likely 

to flee the village to head south for what they think are bigger and better 

opportunities. The women that leave the village are at a higher risk of prostitution, 

becoming pregnant or getting AIDS. Overall this is a very positive opportunity, but 

be very aware of what you and the group is embarking on. 

Here are a few suggestions and general information; 

• Assuming your women’s group do not speak English and/or are uneducated, 

you will need to look for someone to handle the management and 

administration of the women’s group within the community. 

• The administrator should be able to open a bank account, do the accounting 

for the income and outflow of money, be able to determine costs in detail to 

make sure the group is making money, etc. The administrator should receive a 

Page 19 of 28


percentage of the profit (I suggest 5% - 10%). Finally, the administrator 

should be trusted by the women and able to communicate effectively with the 

women in order to set realistic expectations. 

• Be prepared for the unexpected and possible major issue to occur, such as a 

possible loss on a particular order. 

• If a firm will pay 50% (for example) of the money up front so the women can 

get started, monitor if the women are starting to use there own money to 

complete the order and how much so they don’t exceed an amount that would 

eliminate their profit. Also, monitor what a the nuts are yielding in butter by 

weighing them on initial production. You may want to double check the 

figures as you continue production. 

• 1 rounded market bowl of nuts (a bowl of nuts that are piled above the rim of 

the calabash) produces approximately 1 kilogram of butter 

• 30 rounded bowls of nuts equals one bag of nuts 

• 40 flat bowls of nuts (a bowl of nuts where they level the nuts off to the equal 

the rim of the calabash) equals one bag of nuts 

• 1 bag of nuts produces approximately 30 kilograms of butter 

Be sure to measure and check your local measuring system. 

Break-Even Analysis from a UNDP-JICA study near Tamale 

(Personal communication via Oliver Hoellige (DED Wa NBSSI Regional Office) 

Preliminary findings: 

Sagnarigu: 

I started the study around May-June this year when price of shea nuts is GHc 20 per 

jute bag (between 90-94 kg). Daily wage rate was computed at US$1=GHc 0.92. 

Semi-mechanized processing. Yield=40%. 

Break-even is GHc 0.97/kg of shea butter. 

Walewale: 

The same activities were conducted in Walewale (100km further north of Tamale) 

around the same time. The price of a jute sack of nuts is GHc 25 per jute bag 

(between 92-95 kg). Semi-mechanized processing. Yield=33%. 

Break-even is GHc 1.63/kg shea butter. 

This higher break-even price might be attributed to transportation costs of firewood, 

water, and milling station. 

Note: Break-even price for unrefined shea butter in these two examples does not 

include packaging, marketing expenses, etc. 

Page 20 of 28


7: Supporting Actors in the Shea Industry/Contacts 

NGOs and Companies Involved in the Ghanaian Shea Industry 

1. SARI (Savannah Agriculture Research Institute) 

2. JICA – Village group training programs 

3. Africa 2000 has some Shea programs (Office located in Kalpohene Estates) 

4. SNV – shea is a focus product in their private sector development program. 

Chris Bakaweri is the Tamale coordinator for their Private Sector 

Development program working in shea. cbakaweri@snvworld.org. Balma 

also works with him at the SNV Tamale office. 

5. NGO Ride – this is the social responsibility arm of the Company. Katharina 

Woener is the Country Director, telephone number: 020 932 2693. e-mail: 

katharinawoener@gmx.de. Kwabena Badu-Yeboah is the Director, F&A, tel 

0244 523 594 and 020 813 1258, e-mail: kwabena_yeboah2001@yahoo.com. 

Major International Companies in the Shea Industry: 

1. L’OReale 

2. L’Occitane 

3. AarhusKarlshamns- in Denmark / Sweden 

4. IOI group (Loders-Croklaan in Holland) 

5. Feeds, Fats & Fertilisers in India 

6. The Pure Company 

(International Market Demands high butter content, stearin rich, boiled, sun-dried, 

low free fatty acid & no foreign bodies 

Local Buyers in Ghana (Nuts & Butter) 

1. Bosbel Industries 

Email: bosbelus1962@yahoo.com 

Phone: 0244-864799 

Tamale 

2. Kassardjian Industries Limited 

PO Box 2246, Accra, Ghana 

Tamale 

3. Ghana Nuts 

Techiman 

Buying Shea Nuts, Cashews, Groundnuts, and Soybeans 

4. Savannah Fruits Company – Shea Butter 

Pre-finances groups of rural women to supply quality Butter to Company 

Page 21 of 28


Peter Lovett, Production Manager 

peter@savannahfruits.com 

Tamale (Peter): 0244292898 

Accra: 0246360185 

5. Ghana Specialty Fats Industries LTD. - Shea Nuts 

(Plant capacity: 25,000 Tonnes in 2008), Plant Near Tema 

K.V. Shevaa – Northern Region Agent/Buyer 

Address: P.O. Box TL 2178 

Tamale, N/R 

Ghana, West Africa 

Contacts: Mobile: 0244 315267 

Email: shevaa3@yahoo.com 

6. Centre For Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) 

Manager: Naresh Shukla 

Address: P.O. Box TL 1504 

Tamale, N/R, 

Ghana, West Africa 

Contacts: Office: 071 23512/24939 

Mobile: 0244 716849 

Fax: 071 26566 

7. K.I. Ghana – Wa (Formerly Kassardjian) 

Mr. Tewiah 

Wa, Upper West Region 

027 22261 (Wa) 

0243 435312 

0756 22656 

0209 069044 

Page 22 of 28


8. Appendices 

Page 23 of 28


Appendix 1. Value-added to selling price of shea butter cosmetics. 

Shea Nut 

0.1 € 

Production 

0.5 € 

Shea Butter 

0.3 € 

Other Raw 

Materials 

0.7 € 

Bulk 

Finished 

Product 

50ml 

1.5 € 

Bottle 

1 € 

Packaging 

0.5 € 

Carton 

0.5 € 

Marketing 

Step 1 

Packaged 

Finished 

Product 

3.5 € 

Producer’s 

Margin 

1.5 € 

Finished 

Product 

Sold 

by 

Producer 

5 € 

Cost of the legal files 

to permit selling 

1 € 

Transport 

and Import 

costs 

1 € 

Imported 

Finished 

Product 

6 € 

Page 24 of 28 

Marketing 

Step 2 

Advertising Costs 

5 € 

Finished 

Product 

Sold to 

Retailer 

by 

Importer 

12 € 

Retailer’s 

Margin 

9 € 

(13 times the initial 

price of shea butter 

production) 

Finished 

Product 

Sold Tax 

Exclusive 

to the 

Public 

21 € 

Taxes, VAT 

4 € 

Finished 

Product 

Sold Tax 

Inclusive 

to the 

Public 

25 €


Appendix 2. Ghana Shea SS MAP (from SNV Ghana). 

End Use? 

Exporting 


Trading 



(In country) 

Nut 

Bulking 

Small scale 

Nut Trading 

Primary 

Processing 


Private 

Exporters 

Indivi 

dual 

Women 

(rural & 

Urban) 

Individual 

Rural 

women 

Cosmetics 

(US, CD) 

Private 

Agents 

Body 

Shop 

Women 

Groups 

Individual Rural Women 

Regional? 

Emerging? 

Markets 

Secaf, 

Akoma 

SFC 

NASFPB 

AAK 

NASFPB 

Food Sector (EU) 

Loders 

Croklaan 

Loders 

Croklaan 

IBG?:(


Appendix 3. Traditional Shea Processing (adapted from Dr. 

Peter Lovett). 

1. Harvest: fall fruit 

picked from the ground 

2. Accumulate: Fresh fruit 

heaped for 1-2 weeks 

3. Boil: Boil sheanuts with water 

for ~ 90 min. at temps >95 o C 

4. Dry Nuts: Whole nuts spread 

in the sun on a hardened mud or 

concrete surface 

5. De-husk: Nuts are handpounded 

to remove husks 

6. Dry Kernels: Kernels spread 

in the sun for storage, sale, or 

further processing. 

Page 26 of 28


7. Crush kernels: 

Hand-pounded. 

8. Dry-roast kernels: Dryfried 

in large iron. pots. 

9. Milling: Milled into 

paste, usually by 

commercial operator. 

10. Kneading: Vigorously, handbeaten 

for 30-60 minutes until fats 

form emulsion, washed, & 

removed 

11. Boil fat: Cleaned by boiling on 

an open fire with decanting stages to 

clarify the oil. 

12. Prepare for use, sale, or 

storage: Liquid is left to 

cool and stirred into a 

smooth, creamy butter 

Page 27 of 28


9. NOTES: 

Page 28 of 28

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