Trust you’re having a great weekend. Today, let’s visit a shea butter processing company in the northern part of Ghana. Shea fruit is a very common fruit in this part of the country and with the abundance of raw materials, northern region is known to be the only region producing the highest quantity of shea butter in Ghana.
So, a while back, I went all the way to the Yumzaa shea processing center for research purposes. The good thing is, I didn’t go an alone. I had others with me and that made the whole experience very fun. We arrived there are we were welcomed by the owner of the company who was a lady. She gave us a brief history of how she started the company with about 20 other women in her community.
So, it all started from them picking up the shea fruits , depulping and processing in lesser quantities until she decided to upgrade and build a processing center to support more women. Today, she works with over 80 women who help in shea butter processing for wholesale across the county.
First, the Shea nuts are collected, boiled and dried before dehusking. After dehusking, they are then crushed , roasted and dried again. From there, they are milled to give a smooth paste.
The paste is then boiled in huge pots at a particular temperature and stirred constantly to ensure consistency. After a while, the Shea oil forms at the top of the mixture. The Shea oil is then collected from the surface and kept in a cool place to harden. Once hard, it is then packaged and ready for distribution.
The whole process is actually tedious when done manually but owner of this center has managed to secure some roasters and milling machines to make the process easier. One thing I’ve observed from most of these processing companies I have visited is how they keep investing and reinvesting in their companies and it really inspires me.
Shea butter is a resource we Ghanaians boast of because here, we produce high quality shea butter. But, this doesn’t mean there isn’t Shea butter of low quality out there. There is actually, but most people cannot afford the Grade A Shea butter as it’s very costly and so they resort to the lesser grade. However, whichever grade it is, shea butter is know to be from a natural source and is very good for the skin, hair and even for cooking. The chaff from the shea processing is also used for other purposes which ensures that no waste is left from the Shea fruit.
At the end of the day , I learnt to appreciate what we have as Ghanaians because even though I’ve been using she’s butter since I was young, I never knew about what went into it’s processing and this experience is one I’m glad I had. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I’m happy to share my experience with you. Thank you for your time.
all images belong to me.
