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Knowing & Selling Your ProductBackground & technical knowledgeShows confidence with supply & QCHigh consistent quality
= happy customerTell the whole ‘African Shea’ story
Westerners are fascinated
Anticipating questions!Source? Species? Location?Production methods? Any certification?How Produced? Who? Process methods?What are international markets of shea?
Edible/Cosmetics/PharmaceuticalsNatural quality & unique qualities!Additional selling points?
Source of Shea Butter Natural product of dry-land tree species
The shea tree or l’arbre du kariteFamily: Sapotaceae, Genus, species: Vitellaria paradoxa (syn. Butryospermum paradoxum)
3 million km2 semi-arid zone20 countries: Gambia to Uganda
Produced by rural-poor womenVegetable fat from dried kernels
Production MethodsManaged & harvested in parklands
Describe long-term human associationTrees in farms thru dry kernels in villages
Knowledge that this defines quality!Sustainability & organic certification
Positive environmental impactPrepare to show photographs
Parklands in Mali
Traditional ExtractionTraditionally is women’s crop
Promote the ‘gender’ backgroundDry kernels – soft butter
Explain complex hand-crafted processTraceability: certification (QA, organic)
Important issues in today’s marketsPrepare to show photographs
Shea butter in Ghana
Three MarketsShow confidence in market knowledgeTraditional local demand & uses
Frying, sauces, pomade, soap, medicinesRefined for edible products,etc
Used in confectionary – but all ‘magic’ removedPersonal care industry wants unrefined
Butter clean but intact ‘magic’ properties
Personal Care IndustrySoap manufacture wants:
High ‘saponifiables’Cosmetics for skin & hair care want:
High ‘unsaponifiables’Therapeutic benefits
Pharmaceutical products under development
Treatment of eczema, arthritis, etc
Natural Quality, Unique Qualities!Show quality control from source
“Quality @ Quantity” requires trainingExplain ‘virgin’ butter
Butter quality defined by kernel qualityNo need for solvent extraction
Characteristic ‘traditional colour & smell’Can be clean but need ‘unsaps’ intact
Sets shea apart from other plant oils
Additional Selling PointsAfrican-nessProven by age-old traditionsEthnic / New Age marketsEnvironmental sustainabilityNatural / Organic / Fair-trade product
Understand Other Quality IssuesFree fatty acid determined by heatingPeroxides formed during boilingPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form during smoking or roastingFungal infections during accumulation, drying & storageInsect infestations during storage, etc
Background informationSeries of four reports commissioned by WATH with funding from USAIDhttp://www.watradehub.com/program/Shea.htm
Quality Issues 1: Unsaps‘Whole’ unrefined butter recommended for Natural Cosmetic Products since it includes the complete unsaponifiable contentUltra-violet light protection, anti-inflammation, moisturizing, regenerative & anti-wrinklePresence of significant fraction (3-12% of total butter) includes many bioactive chemicals e.g. triterpene alcohols, phenols, sterols & karitene
Quality Issues 2: ImpuritiesFiltering ensures the removal of fine particles, resulting from extraction methods, but leaves the chemical benefits intactThe texture of pure, or ‘virgin’ shea butter can be changed by re-melting & stirring frequently to prevent crystallization while the butter solidifiesAvoid contamination with iron & water
Quality Issues 3: ScentThe strange but characteristic shea butter smell or scent (combinations of musty, smoky, vaguely fishy-metallic fragrances) are due to traditional processing methods & research is in progress to prevent or reduce their prevalenceShea kernel quality is primary determinant of butter quality including scent. Therefore those supplying the US need close links to the actual pickers, & first stage processors, of sheanuts
Quality Issues 3: Shelf-lifeWith correct storage, high quality traditional shea butter has a shelf life of at least one year at room temperature (220 C) –recommended to keep bulk shea butter in refrigerated conditions in sealed containers that exclude light (ultra-violet, air & water that can damage butter & other chemicals)Final stage of preparing traditional shea butter is to boil the molten-butter – all micro-organisms are destroyed & water content is minimised
Quality Issues 4: OtherNatural plant dyes (such as root material from Cochlospermum tinctorium) added to vibrant yellow-orange colourChemical quality can influence use, e.g. soap-maker often prefers cheap, low-grade shea butter with high FFA levels. Since chemical process of saponification reduces beneficial unsaponifiables, best to ‘super-fat’with high grade shea butter to ensure the beneficial properties are present
Quality Issues 5: VariabilityThere is a wide ‘natural’ variation in terms of fat profile, melting point, colour, unsaponifiable composition, etc, for shea butter of different provenances (source location). Mixing fats & oils from different shea varieties maybe useful for adjusting melting-point. R&D is in progress is identify & quantify natural variability
