Our shea forest stewards
Gifty & Wayne
KPERISI & KONJEIHI - GHANA | BARAKA SHEA BUTTTER

Gifty, the daughter of a tribal elder in northwestern Ghana, set out to study abroad. She moved to Canada in the 1980s but always felt a strong connection to her home community in Wa. When visiting, she brought care packages to the women. While appreciative of the gesture, what they really wanted was work. Gifty was inspired to sell shea butter in Canada which had been handcrafted by the women in her home community for generations. Partnering with Wayne, who had spent decades advising international organizations on corporate responsibility, they formed Baraka Shea Butter. For the past several decades they have been working with a collective of over 100 women from the villages of Kperisi and Konjeihi, fulfilling their vision.

Stewards of ancient tradition

REMARKABLE SHEA

For centuries shea butter has been called “women’s gold” not only for its rich golden color, but also because it provides employment and income to millions of women across the continent. The ‘UN Development Programme’ estimates that an average of three million African women work directly or indirectly with shea butter.

This singular butter is creamy-golden in color. Rich in essential fatty acids, enzymes, vitamins and exhibiting impressive cooling and protective qualities, shea butter is remarkably versatile, offering nourishment and exceptional skin revitalizing activity. It is part of an age-old tradition and is used daily throughout one’s lifetime – to celebrate birth, to dress wounds, as a butter to cook with and a balm to moisturize skin and hair.

Local Impact

Ingredient: Shea Butter

Place: Kperisi & Konjeihi Villages, Northwestern Ghana

Community: Secured a better livelihood for 800+ families. Investment in the community has provided school uniforms, construction of a grinding mill, milling shed, roasters, a women’s enterprise center,  and a water well — the life force of the community.

Yield: A shea tree takes up to 50 years to mature enough to be harvested. Only 15% of fallen shea fruit/seeds are picked for production.

United Nations: Impacted 13 of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including poverty, hunger, health and well-being, education, access to water, gender equality, responsible consumption and production, climate action.

Made with shea butter

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Gateway Product
Gateway Product

Fragrance free and simple. My lips love it so much and stayed soft for much longer, its been a great value. It led me to ordering other products directly from evanhealy which have become my holy grails like rose and douglas fir hydrosols, some of the oil serums and the Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf.

Des.

evanhealy organic shea butter lip balm chapstick

Whipped Shea Butter for Lips

An olive branch for dry skin
An olive branch for dry skin

Very emollient. It melted into my dry skin and kept it hydrated throughout the day (normally I would have to reapply a moisturizer after a few hours, not so with this product). I like it a lot just wish it was a larger jar, my whole body could benefit from its use.

Cecilia E.

evanhealy whipped shea butter with olive leaf facial moisturizer for face

Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf

This is my luxury balm. Makes me feel like I’m applying liquid diamonds to my skin. It feels amazing and nourishes throughout the night and smells incredible. At first the scent came on strong but it grew on me quickly! I love that there’s no greasy residue after sleeping with it on all night.

Erin.

blue cactus beauty balm white background

Blue Cactus Beauty Balm

From our journal

  • Women's Gold - Our Shea Butter Story

    Highlights from our January 2014 trip to Kperisi Village in northern Ghana to visit the women of the cooperative responsible for our shea butter. We have always been working to create self-sufficiency in the Village.

    READ MORE 

  • An Interview with Gifty Serbeh, Co-founder of Baraka, by our CEO David Gordon

    Our Shea Butter Sourcing Story begins at Kperisi Village in Ghana. A conversation with evanhealy CEO David Gordon and Gifty Serbeh-Dunn.

    WATCH VIDEO 

  • Shea Butter for Expecting Mothers and Babies:

    Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf  is a nurturing companion through every stage of pregnancy and motherhood. Pregnancy skin gets dry and uncomfortable as it stretches to accommodate a baby belly, growing breasts and expanding hips. Whipped Shea Butter with Olive Leaf to the rescue! This cocooning, rich, emollient, and essential oil free butter, can withstand any stress test. 

    READ MORE