Industry Overview

Nearly 2 billion shea trees grow naturally on parklands in 21 African countries stretching from Senegal to South Sudan, while 16 million women living in rural communities individually collect fresh shea fruits and kernel for processing. Shea offers technical and health benefits as cooking oil and food/cosmetic ingredients. As of today, more than half of all shea export is processed in West Africa as shea butter, shea stearin and shea olein. With approximately 800,000 tons collected each year, global demand for shea has seen significant growth on the back of new shea applications in food and cosmetics, increased investment in supply expansion and processing. The shea industry provides a critical source of jobs and incomes to often poor and underserved communities.