Get to Know the Heart of Our Shea Butter Co-op: The Makers!
Our Shea butter cooperative is growing! We started with just 10 women and now we’re over 30 strong. What’s even more exciting is that young women, who were initially skeptical, are now keen to join us, inspired by the success we’ve achieved.
There’s a little snag, though. Despite our growth and the increased production capacity, our order volume isn’t quite large enough yet to employ all the eager young women who want to join us. But we are sure that it’s a temporary challenge! We’re hopeful that very soon we’ll receive larger orders, enabling the co-op to operate at full capacity and provide employment for everyone who wants to be a part of this exciting venture.
Local women are the most beautiful, loving, caring and hard-working women I have ever met. They have taught me so much! One of many things I love about the collective is how women run their Shea butter factory for exampl
Working with these wonderful women has been a true privilege. They’re hardworking, caring, full of love, and their spirit of collaboration is nothing short of inspiring. One of the most beautiful things I’ve witnessed is the way they run the Shea butter factory. It’s all about teamwork and consensus. Decisions aren’t made until EVERYONE agrees – isn’t that the perfect way to run a business?
Every visit to the village feels like coming home.
What can I say, these women have a way of making us feel special. I still remember the time they painted our Shea butter storage room in the colors of the Estonian flag, as a surprise tribute to our partner Estonian NGO Mondo’s founders and me. It was such a heartwarming gesture!
I think the very least to say is that these women changed my life. I am just incredibly lucky and forever grateful to be part of this amazing group! I invite you to join us by following our story on our Instagram page!
Is Raw Shea Butter Edible?
Since Shea butter is made from nuts, a common question arises: Is Raw Shea Butter edible? The short answer is a resounding YES! In Northern Ghana, Shea butter isn’t just a skincare secret; in fact, it is also considered a superfood. Locals use this natural wonder in their cooking, adding a rich, nutty flavor and a burst of nutrition to their meals. At FairTale GHANA, we’re huge fans of this culinary gem. We often use our Shea butter as a cooking oil, for its nutrient-packed goodness and also for that delightful nutty taste it brings to dishes.
But here’s the catch – not all Shea butter is edible. In fact, the majority of Shea butter available is not intended for culinary use. To ensure you’re getting the real deal, always opt for the raw, unrefined variety and make sure it’s fresh and sourced from a trusted origin. Wondering about the difference between refined and unrefined Shea butter? Click here , for our informative post that explains it in detail. It’s essential to bear in mind that refined Shea butter often contains chemicals, underscoring the importance of knowing the source of your Shea.
Shea Butter’s Unique Role in the Chocolate Industry
Did you know that Shea nut products, encompassing both the solid fat (butter or stearin) and the liquid oil (olein), possess remarkable versatility? They find their way into various products such as cooking oils, margarines, cosmetics, soaps, detergents, and even candles. One of the most fascinating aspects of Shea butter is its exceptional suitability as a cooking oil, thanks to its remarkable heat tolerance.
Here’s an intriguing tidbit: Shea butter has found a unique niche as a cocoa butter substitute in the chocolate and confectionery industry, with a staggering 80% of it being used in making delicious chocolates. It’s a delightful secret of the culinary world!
The Magic of Vegan Skincare
At FairTale GHANA, we’re passionate about Shea butter’s culinary potential because we’re deeply committed to the world of vegan skincare! So, is Raw Shea Butter edible? Absolutely! You bet it is! The sheer satisfaction of knowing that the product you apply to your skin not only nourishes but also serves as food on another continent is simply incredible.
That’s what we mean when we talk about vegan skincare—it’s truly edible! So raw Shea butter is more than skincare. It’s a unique opportunity to experience and embrace a holistic approach to self-care, where the same natural goodness that enriches your meals can also nourish your skin. Don’t you agree?
Ready to experience the magic of raw Shea butter? Visit our web store and explore our range! We’re excited to announce that we now ship worldwide! 🌍🛍️ Visit our web store
Prefer the convenience of Amazon shopping? 🇺🇸 Explore Amazon USA
Calling all European friends! You can easily access all our Amazon stores in the EU by clicking here to visit our LinkTree. 🇪🇺 LinkTree for EU
Raw unrefined Shea butter is a very stable plant fat, so no worries about it going rancid. Just store it in a dry and cool place and your Shea butter can last for years. However, over the years, the nutrients in the Shea butter do start breaking down.
Follow these tips to make sure that your unrefined Shea butter retains its legendary moisturizing properties:
- Store your Shea butter in a cool place, ideally at a temperature between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius (50-68 degrees Fahrenheit).
- While refrigeration can prolong its life, it will harden due to the cold.
- Avoid exposing your Shea butter to hot temperatures or sunlight. For instance, leaving it in your car could cause it to melt!
- Always keep Shea butter covered to prevent exposure to air and contaminants.
- If you’re combining Shea butter with other products, aim to use the mixture within 6 months.
Should Shea Butter Be Kept in the Fridge?
You may be wondering if refrigeration is a good option for storing your Shea butter. While it’s possible, keep in mind that Shea butter hardens in the cold. If you have a large quantity of Shea butter, it might be practical to refrigerate the portion you’re not using daily. However, the key to preserving your Shea butter’s integrity is keeping it away from direct sun and heat. Room temperature around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) is perfectly fine for your everyday supply.
The Golden Rules:
- It’s advisable to use a clean spoon (wooden or otherwise) to scoop out your unrefined Shea butter, rather than using your fingers. This practice helps avoid the introduction of bacteria and contaminants, especially if you’re planning to use the butter over a long period.
- When melting your raw Shea butter, do so gently and avoid overheating it. It’s best to refrain from repeated melting, as this can lead to a loss of nutrients.
- To extend the shelf life of your homemade Shea butter creations, you can add natural preservatives, such as vitamin E. Not only does this prolong its usability, but it also enhances its skin nourishing properties.
In summary, raw Shea butter is an incredibly stable plant fat and can be easily stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If your Shea butter happens to melt and turn grainy when it cools back down too slowly, don’t worry! Fixing grainy Shea butter is a breeze. Check out our post on “How to Fix Grainy Shea Butter” here.
Grab your Raw African Shea butter from here!
Protect your Pet’s paws and nose with raw Shea butter! It is the paw-fect way to give your pet the love and care they deserve. As pet owners, we want nothing more than to see our furry friends happy and comfortable. However, harsh weather conditions and rough terrain can take a toll on our pet’s paws, causing dryness, cracking, and even pain. As a result, our pets may avoid going outside or become less active, which can negatively impact their overall well-being.
Are you tired of seeing your furry friend suffer from dry, cracked, and painful paws?
Don’t worry, we have a solution! Protect your Pet’s paws with Raw Shea Butter! Raw Shea butter is the paw-friendly way to keep your pet’s paws healthy and protected. This all-natural product is rich in vitamins and fatty acids that deeply moisturize and heal dry, cracked, and irritated skin. The best part? It’s 100% natural, so your pet can lick their paws as much as they want without any harmful chemicals.
Applying raw Shea butter to your pet’s paws is simple and easy. Just massage a small amount onto the paw pads, being careful to avoid the fur. The Shea butter will quickly absorb into the skin, leaving a protective layer that will last for hours. You can apply it daily or as needed, depending on your pet’s activity level and the weather conditions.
Raw Shea butter is not only safe for your pet, but it’s also safe for you. Unlike many other store bought pet paw balms, raw Shea butter is free of harmful chemicals and additives. It’s a natural choice for pet care that you can feel good about.
Click here and give them the gift of comfort with raw Shea butter.
Your pet will thank you for it! ❤️ #PetCare #SheaButter #HappyPaws
Shea butter anti aging properties are famous all over the world! Not surprising at all :) Because natural Shea butter contains vitamins A, E and F, all of which help fight off premature wrinkles and facial lines. Vitamins A and E are particularly beneficial in keeping your skin healthy. For example, they play an important role in helping sun damaged skin heal. Vitamin F both protects your skin and helps it heal. It also soothes rough, dry or chapped skin, and helps soften dry and damaged hair. And the best part – raw Shea butter is also non-comedogenic! Which means it has a pore-clogging ability of zero, so it doesn’t cause breakouts, clogged pores or pimples.
Need more pros? Here they come – raw Shea butter is high in unsaponifiables (a type of fat). Shea butter contains somewhere between 7% and 12% unsaponifiables. To put that in perspective, avocado oil – another well-known skin conditioner – contains between 2% and 6% unsaponifiables.
It is thanks to this level of unsaponifiables that Shea butter can treat so many conditions. Since raw Shea butter easily penetrates the skin, allowing it to breathe and not clogging the pores, it delivers its nutritional payload better than other man-made moisturizers.
In addition, unrefined Shea butter contains cinnamic acid, which is a natural sunscreen. It even provides a degree of protection from the sun’s harmful rays. You should still wear your sunblock though.
Did you know that according to the legend, Cleopatra was carrying Shea butter with her where ever she went. And she was said to owe her legendary beauty to the use of Shea butter. The tales of her beauty still exist to this day, and it is no surprise that many cosmetics and skin-care products use Shea butter as a main ingredient. We definitely believe in beauty that stays notorious for centuries!
Grab your Shea butter pouch from here!
Education is one of the most powerful tools to enable kids fulfill their potential. Studies show that educated girls are less likely to be married before the age of 18 and have children during teenage years. Educated girls are more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They build better futures for themselves and their loved ones, because when a woman earn higher income she re-invests her earnings into her family and her community. So by educating girls we grow economies and reduce inequalities!
Did you know that one in four girls gets married as a child?
And that 130 million girls around the world are out of school! These numbers might make us feel hopeless, nevertheless I believe that we should still ask how can we make a difference? How can we be part of a solution? Every mom in Kongo village, like everywhere else in the world, wants the best possible future for their children! Our partner, tiny Estonian NGO Mondo has been supporting education in Kongo village since 2009! Thanks to them 145 kids in the village are in school, who otherwise couldn’t afford it. And the best news is that ALL the children of the Shea ladies in Kongo village are in school! That is why we believe that the best way to support kids, is to create business relations with their mothers! Women know better than any foreign NGO how to use their money in their communities.
How can we make a difference?
We truly believe that ethical business is the key! Fair wages to the women and the best 100% natural products for you! Simple, right? Even though we have been often told that we are too small to make a difference but we believe that together with you and NGO Mondo, we can make life a bit easier for the local women! Then they can provide for their kids! And that is a huge deal! This, in my opinion, is a clear example how connected we all are. Every pound of sold Shea butter makes a difference! Thanks to you a mom has a job and her kids are in school! This is how we can all make a difference and change the world a little better place!
Thank you so much for being part of our venture!
At FairTale GHANA, we are committed to producing only raw Shea butter.
You might wonder why we are so passionate about this choice. Well, here’s the scoop: In the Western world, raw natural Shea butter is a rare gem. Unfortunately most of this vitamin-rich butter gets refined. But why? The simple answer is convenience. Refining Shea butter removes the nutty smell, making it more appealing to a wider range of clients, especially in the cosmetics industry.
But here’s the catch: Up to 95% of the natural vitamins found in Shea butter can be stripped away during the refining process. Moreover, refining often involves bleaching and deodorizing, all in the pursuit of making the butter softer, whiter, and odorless. However, this snow-white Shea butter loses most of its moisturizing and healing properties, a fact that saddens us deeply.
This is precisely why we are so passionate about what we do. Our mission is to support local women in preserving their cherished centuries old traditions. At FairTale GHANA, our Shea butter is always handcrafted in the traditional style, without any refining or chemical processing. It’s 100% natural and brimming with good fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, E, and F that your skin craves.
From the very beginning, we made a promise to our clients: We will never refine our Shea butter. We will always deliver it from our Shea butter cooperative in Northern Ghana exactly the same way it has been used in Africa for centuries. And we stand by that promise!
2 Simple Steps For Recognizing Unrefined Shea butter
- Check the Color: Raw Shea butter ranges from cream to grayish yellow, depending on the nuts used. Beware of pure white Shea butter, as it is highly refined and likely lacks most of its healing properties.
- And then snub your nose in it: Unrefined Shea butter has a smoky and nutty smokey aroma, that is absent when Shea butter is refined. That delightful smoky scent comes from nuts being roasted over an open fire. Mmm…just the way we like it!
So our suggestion is, always be mindful of how your Shea butter is produced. Whenever possible, choose raw (unrefined) Shea butter because, as we’ve said before: Only Raw Is The Real One!
And remember, raw Shea butter is a very stable plant fat. It can be used for an extended period without worries of it going rancid. Just store it away from heat and direct sunlight. If your Shea butter happens to melt and then cool down too slowly, it might turn grainy. No worries, though; you can learn how to fix it here.
Ready to experience the goodness of raw Shea butter for yourself? Grab your pouch of our RAW Shea butter from the nearest shop, or choose from all these options:
- Seize your pouch of raw Shea butter from our web store! We now proudly ship worldwide! 🌍🛍️
- Alternatively, head to our Amazon USA store for additional options 🇺🇸
- For our European friends, simply click here to visit our LinkTree, where you’ll find links to all our Amazon stores in the EU 🇪🇺
Wondering how FairTale GHANA transforms Shea butter into ethically sourced goodness? Let us share the heart and purpose behind our mission.
Our Adventures in Ghana
Traveling to our village, located in the farthest reaches of Northern Ghana, far from the convenience of more accessible Shea butter sources, is quite a journey. A common question we encounter is, “Why go the extra mile when there are easier options?” Our answer is: “We do this precisely because the women face these challenges.”
Let us explain. Yes, our village is a tough spot to get to. From the rough, unpaved roads to the village’s secluded location and occasional electricity shortages (which can delay our Shea butter packing for days), we encounter it all. Moreover, the long and challenging journey, including the arduous roads leading up to the Burkina Faso border in Northern Ghana, significantly inflates transportation costs, making our venture even more difficult and expensive.
However, despite the obstacles, we’re committed to making the extra effort. We firmly believe this journey is worth it! After all, we source premium Shea butter from the African savannah region while also contributing to a sustainable income for these amazing women. It’s truly remarkable, isn’t it?
Our Mission: Fairness and Quality
FairTale GHANA wasn’t created to make a quick buck. Our goal from the day one was to prove that ethical business isn’t just possible—it’s the best way to do business. Our mission is simple – lift up communities and deliver fantastic top-notch to our customers.
We believe in partnering up with the women owned cooperative, is the key to the better more equal world. Women, who understand their families’ needs best, are empowered when they have control over their work and their income. We pay them a fair price for their hard work – a price they determine, one that they’ve told us significantly improves their lives.
And even though they ask a way higher than what the industry usually pays, we consider it a small price to pay for the love and dedication these women put into each batch of Shea butter. We also believe it’s time for everyone to raise their prices. Sadly, countless women worldwide are still denied fair compensation for their work. We are committed to leading by example, fairness and quality are our guiding principles – it’s as simple as that.
A Team Effort
But our commitment to fairness extends beyond Shea butter production. Let’s take a moment to recognize everyone involved, from the truck drivers who transport our products to the packaging team who help us prepare each order. Because every contribution matters in bringing our Shea butter to your doorstep.
As you know, FairTale GHANA is all about empowering women, but we also want to support local artisans. That’s why we’ve ordered some souvenirs from Accra’s art center and included a little gift for you in some of our Shea butter boxes! Some lucky customers of ours have already received many of them:) We will continue with this tradition because it brings us joy to go to the market and also order from local artisans. We hope the warmth of this gesture makes you smile when you open your Shea butter box.
These gifts are something small from Ghana, handmade with love, and they support local families. We believe they fit perfectly with our venture – a symbol of the unity and interconnectedness that defines FairTale GHANA. So, each box of Shea butter you receive directly impacts the livelihood of a family halfway across the globe, and we are here for it!
The Birth of FairTale GHANA
Curious about our origin story? Read about my journey from Northern Europe to Ghana and the birth of FairTale GHANA by clicking here.
For daily updates and to stay connected, join us on Instagram!
Ready to experience the beauty of African skincare while making a positive impact? Learn more about our mission or explore links to all our Amazon stores in the EU and USA 🇪🇺🇺🇸, through our LinkTree crossroads. 🌿
You’re welcome to visit our web store and join us in spreading goodness across the globe. Simply click here, and let us take you to our shop! We now proudly ship worldwide!
We are so grateful to have you with us on this journey. Every single one of you is amazing, and together, we’re making a positive difference in the world.
Warm regards,
Kai-Liis Lepik Founder, FairTale GHANA