The holly link between shea and the African woman

African spirituality teaches us that the woman, just as the shea tree, are living being naturally gifted with the vital energy called ‘Nyama’ by the Mandingue people, Ashe by the Yoruba people (also linkable to the ‘Prana’ in Taoism or Shakti in Hinduism). This energy permits in particular to give life. Thus only African women have the ability to approach the shea tree and receive its energy. For generations they have possessed unique knowledge and sacred savoir-faire that enables them to extract naturally shea butter while still preserving its wealth and vital energy.

This vital energy also carries the scientific name of ‘unsaponifiables’. The famous natural repairer components wanted in cosmetics. But we do understand that an industrially extracted butter does not have the same value as the genuine butter extracted by African women. Their butter is not only unsaponifiable-rich but because it has been produced within the respect of the traditions and of nature, it also possesses a “soul supplement”.

For the North of Benin female producers, to produce a good shea butter is a question of honor. A woman must be capable of producing, recognizing and appreciating an impeccable Shea butter.

Besides the conditioning material, the hygienic and security rules that we provide to the producers, the preparation of almonds and the manual churning that unravels all the technical know-how of the producers, requires a  vital positive energy (Nyama), rigor, generosity, patience and a good hand-turn.

If they prove to be efficient at crushing shea almonds and at obtaining the grounds (showed above), there is still no machine that permits for instance, to obtain the texture guaranteed by the manual churning.

No machine brings together all of the above stated qualities…