Mission

Our Mission
To create eco-luxury beauty products from quality ingredients delivered in sustainable packaging while positively impacting the lives of women

Cooperative Representatives from the 8 Communities that have partnered with Shea Radiance

The Main Ingredient

Our key ingredient is shea butter comes from renewable ans sustainable sources. Shea butter comes from shea trees, which grow predominantly in West Africa.  It takes 50 years for shea trees to mature and they can live up to 300 years. Shea butter is produced from a nut in the core of the fruit that the shea tree produces twice a year. Shea trees are carefully tended by local farmers and they grow without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Traditionally, shea trees were not cut when clearing land for farming because the shea tree was so valuable. Recently however, shea trees are being cut for charcoal and firewood. When shea farmers are paid fairly for their products, they are more inclined to protect the shea trees from being cut down, thereby helping to sustain the environment.

Financial and Social Commitment to Local Shea producing Communities

Shea Radiance spent time training and working closely with eight cooperatives in Northern Nigeria. With training support and the provision of locally manufactured technology, women were taught to add value to their labor by producing the best quality shea butter. Our goal is to establish a viable business entity that will be a sustainable source of income and economic activity for the women, their families and the entire community.

Appropriate technologies provided by Shea Radiance to increase production capacity and relieve the physical burden of shea production

The Multiplier Effect

By processing raw shea nuts into shea butter within the local communities, the women producers  add value to the product prior to export. This allows them to make a significantly higher income from the sale of shea butter than the sale of unprocessed shea nuts. The impact of our decision to produce within the local communities, extends beyond the shea collectors and producers to the community at large. As the volume of shea production increases within a community, the need for supporting services like transportation, packaging, warehousing and banking increase. The positive economic impact spreads through the community.

The Multiplier Effect Impacts the entire Community

The multiplier effect also impacts the lives of the  young men within the community who are unable to find work. They now become employed in the business of preparing the shea for transport, assisting with picking and hauling nuts to local production centers and other tasks that can earn them an income.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Shea Radiance has partnered with GIZ to increase the quality of shea butter produced and to allow for larger scale production within selected  communities through a pre-financing and capacity building program. Shea Radiance with support from USAID/WATH (West Africa Trade Hub) seeks create international awareness of the benefits of West African Shea Butter as a viable alternative to petroleum and mineral oils in cosmetic formulations.