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News Release Sept 18 , 2008

SHEA BUTTER MARKET VISITS TAKPO WIDOW’S GROUP IN GHANA

On Friday July 25th, 2008 I arrived in Ghana after 4 1/2 years.

Visit to Wa/Tapko
This was a very exciting and emotional trip for me. It was wonderful to find most members of the widow’s group in good health and great spirits. They are very enthusiastic about working with Shea Butter Market as we have proven our commitment to them over the years. They really enjoyed seeing what we have done with their raw shea butter and they absolutely loved the new packaging and the new products that we have created especially the Savannah Face Cream and Sun Soother.

The chief of Tapko and his wife Monica were overjoyed to see me, thanked me profusely for the good work we are doing and for our generosity to the women of Tapko. I thanked them for consistently supporting our efforts by supplying us excellent raw shea butter.

For those of you who wonder how your Shea Butter Market purchases impact the lives of the Tapko Widow’s Group you will be happy to know that in the last 4 years these women have been able to send their children to school and afford to pay for school supplies, uniforms and school fees. They are able to go to the medical clinic when they are sick and need medical attention. The women and children also now eat a more nutritious diet by being able to afford to buy meat and vegetables at the local market when their own crops fail. Shea Butter Market pays a premium price to these women for their raw shea butter. We do not bargain with them and often pay them higher than their asking price. The price we pay them is more than triple what they would get on the local market.

One of the goals I had for this trip was to formalize a micro-credit fund by engaging our partner NGO in Ghana ~ Suntaa Nuntaa to manage the fund. It was such a pleasure to do this and to give them $600 on behalf of SBM and my family from the sales of Shea Butter over the past 3 years. This micro-credit fund will enable the women to borrow money to start other projects together so that they can continue to better their lives and the lives of their children.

Suntaa Nuntaa then made a request from us. They would like to start a tree planting project around the village of Tapko. Many of the villagers are cutting down timber trees and shea trees for firewood production as that is all that is left. In order to protect these trees then something must take their place. The plan is to grow Acacia trees which grow quickly. Acacia trees grow from the stumps after the initial harvest and can be grown on sites not suitable for agriculture. The Chief of Tapko has agreed to make land available for this project but they need funds to purchase the seedlings.

Make your Shea Butter Market purchases online at
http://www.sheabuttermarket.com/pure_shea_buttter_market_products.htm
and we will donate 5% of your purchases directly to this project.
From September 15th to October 31, 2008

Wa Women’s Group

There are now 20 women in this group and many more lined up to join. These women were organized to assist the Tapko women when Shea Butter Market’s demand for shea butter exceeded the Tapko widow’s group capacity.  Most of the Wa women are single women, a few are married and all have small children to support.  Their situation is very complex in that they don’t have access to land as they live closer to the city of WA and are cash strapped.  Shea Butter Market engaged the group last year and is very pleased with their work.  They are enthusiastic about our partnership and would like to be eligible for the micro credit loans we set up with our NGO Suntaa Nuntaa.  We agreed to do this and Suntaa Nuntaa will give them the necessary training so that they can participate. They are hoping to diversify their economic activities.  As city dwellers, they are likely to engage in small scale trading.

Ideal Providence Farm

Next I visited our local Ghanaian partner ~ Ideal Providence Farm which is run by Georgina Koomson.  In 2006 Georgina won the “Spirit of Organic 2006” award by New Hope Natural Media. The nominees were chosen by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

One of the best things to come out of the last year with Ideal Providence Farm is that Georgina has created yet another opportunity for the Tapko widows’ group.  The group will begin to grow hibiscus tea for export to Germany. The women are engaged in growing 2 acres as a pilot project, seeds provided by Ideal Providence Farm and the land provided by the chief of Tapko.  This is likely to increase to 5-10 acres in future.  This is an excellent income generating activity that can be worked on when the hard work of making shea butter is done.   The first harvest will be in four months time.  The women are thrilled with this opportunity.  

I want to thank all for their continued support!

News Release June 23 , 2008.............................................................................

Gifty, the owner and founder of Shea Butter Market, will be travelling to Ghana this summer. While in Ghana Gifty will also be working with the Widow's collective to partner up with Kiva, www.kiva.org, so that we can provide the widow's group with access to an established micro-lending institution which will give the widow's group more opportunities to create employment for themselves and their families. 

Gifty will also be working with a local NGO, Suntaa Nuntaa (Help Each Other, Love Each Other) to create another business for the widow's group, planting and selling Moringa.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

Shea Butter Market will also be working with a local basket weaver in Ghana to produce packaging for Shea Butter Market's Christmas products which will be available for purchase in all our retail locations this Christmas season.

News Release June 15 , 2008.............................................................................

Shea Butter Market is launching our new Savannah Face Cream!

The healthiest, moisture-maintaining daily face crème with certified organic, fairly-traded shea butter. Savanna Moisture Maintenance Daily Face Crème uses shea butter, and manuka honey to maintain moisture balance. Shea butter encourages smooth, supple skin by improving the skin’s repair functions. Manuka honey maintains the skin’s moisture balance.

Savannah Face Cream is now available for purchase at all of our retail locations and online.

News Release June 1 , 2008................................................................................

Shea Butter Market believes that sustainability, like beauty, must come from within so therefore we have launched new packaging for our Shea Butter skin care products.

In response to your feedback and consumer demand our new packaging is 75% more environmentally friendly. We have achieved this by using a container that is stackable, thus eliminating the need for boxes, that is smaller and lighter so shipping will cost less and we will be able to put more containers in a single shipping box. Our new containers also now carry the pp5 recycable symbol on the bottom which leaves no confusion about how to recycle our containers. All of our retail locations will be carrying our new packaging.  For those who still enjoy the sleek, polished look of our 60ml jars they will still be available for purchase online. 

News Release December 13, 2006...................................................................

Organic Beauty and Fair Trade Product Wins International Award

A fair-trade cosmetic company based in the Vancouver Island area is sharing the pride of an international award with one of its suppliers.

Recently, Shea Butter Market supplier Ideal Providence Farms in Ghana was honoured with the “Spirit of Organic 2006” award by New Hope Natural Media. The nominees are chosen by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. Ideal Farms facilitates supply of shea butter to Shea Butter Market, a company founded by Gifty Serbeh-Dunn, who is originally from Ghana but immigrated to Canada in 1981. Her company offers organic Shea Butter products that help keep skin smooth, soft and clear. A portion of the profits from the product also go to assist the Ghanaian Tapko Widows’ Group, the women who make the butter in the products.

Serbeh-Dunn says when she first immigrated to Canada in 1980, she was shocked to discover that North Americans had yet to catch on to a common beauty secret from Ghana.

“The women in Ghana use Shea Butter to keep their skin soft in what is often a harsh and dry climate,” says Serbeh-Dunn. “Canadian winters can have the same drying and scouring effect, and the butter works wonderfully to soothe winter-dry skin.”

Shea Butter Market products are an excellent way to give the gift of beauty for Christmas without the beast of corporate greed and exploitation.

“We source the Shea Butter from the widows’ group in northern Ghana at a fair trade price,” says Serbeh-Dunn. “The farm that produces our supply is a source of financial independence for about 150 women.”

If you’d like to feel good about your giving, Shea Butter Market products are available across Canada. Check your location for availability at sheabuttermarket.com (choose “retail locations” from the menu on the left).

Shea Butter Market was founded on the belief that business could produce meaningful value for people, communities, shareholders and a broad range of stakeholders, and do so in a way that respects mother earth and the fragile ecosphere that we all live in.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Gifty Serbeh-Dunn
Shea Butter Market
Toll Free:1.877.590.7432
info@sheabuttermarket.com