What is the difference between community processed (handcrafted) and industrial shea butter?

Community processed shea butter ensures that women processing shea are empowered all year round. Instead of the groups just selling the nuts once a year to be shipped out and processed in industrial factories, they organise themselves in to cooperatives and process the shea butter in West Africa all year round as SFC places orders. Once one order is completed, we place another one. This is also the case for our other products: Baobab Oil; Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Black soap. This model ensures added value is made at source in the communities.

What is the difference between refined and unrefined?
Our shea butter is proposed refined or unrefined. Refining is done in a state of the art refinery in Holland where we make sure our product meets all international cosmetic and food standards. Our unrefined shea butter is further homogenized, micro-filtered and repacked to offer best quality unrefined product in the market with all good stuff remaining inside (vitamins, antioxidants and a nice shea natural aroma).

What is Extra Virgin coconut oil?
To produce extra virgin coconut oil we use the wet fermentation method in the communities. This oil is made at ambient temperature with no heat at all. It results in a fresh coconut aroma and a very thin/dry oil easy to be easily absorbed by skin and hair.

Can we get a bespoke or dedicated supply chains or community to produce for us?
Yes! A big strength of our model is that you can get a bespoke supply chain in which you can follow the development and impact on the communities you source from. You can even invest in our “a la carte” project scheme where you can select specific projects which you would like to support.

What is the MOQ?
For our stock items in standard packaging, our Minimum Order Quantities are:

• Shea Butter in 25kg cartons – 5000kg
• African Black Soap in 20kg cartons – 1000kg (1 pallet)
• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in 190kg metal drums – 190kg
• CP Baobab Oil in 190kg metal drums – 190kg
• Kombo Butter in 190kg metal drums – 190kg

Please enquire about MOQs for different packaging and bespoke supply chains.

How buying from SFC contributes to Biodiversity conservation?

SFC work closely with CREMAs (Community Resource Management Area) in National parks, reserves or sanctuaries in Ghana by setting up green value chains. On purchases of organic products, SFC pay a conservation premium to conservation trust funds managed by communities. Likewise, SFC invest in Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary where the hippo population was significantly increased since the launch of the project, Mole National park where elephants, antelopes, warthog, crocodiles and many others are protected, and also the Kwabre Reserve in Western region to protect endangered primate species.

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