Shea butter comes from the nut of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), which grows across a wide belt of sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana and Burkina Faso are among the largest producers, and in Ghana the work is done by skilled artisan producers — communities that have hand-crafted shea for generations.
The traditional process
- Harvesting: fallen shea fruits are collected, and the nut is separated from the pulp.
- Drying & cracking: nuts are dried, then cracked to release the kernel.
- Roasting & grinding: kernels are roasted and ground into a paste.
- Kneading & separating: the paste is kneaded with water until the fat separates and rises.
- Boiling & filtering: the fat is boiled, skimmed and filtered into pure butter, then left to set.
Why sourcing relationships matter
Because so much value is created by hand at the producer level, buying direct — rather than through layers of intermediaries — makes a real difference to both traceability and to how much value stays with the producers. It's also why quality can vary: consistent, cosmetic-grade output depends on good handling and testing at the source.
That's the core of how Everleigh works: direct relationships with master producers in Ghana's shea heartland, pre-shipment testing, and documentation that follows the butter all the way to Canada.