A MOTHER’S LOVE

As the weather changes, so does your skin and we want to help you get through this winter with some Mother’s Shea in our November Box. Naa-Sakkle Akuete, a Ghanaian- American entrepreneur partnered with her mother, Eugenia who’s love for shea led them to create a brand with a purpose that only uses five moisture-packed ingredients to make their Whipped Shea Butter that is sourced directly from Ghana. Find out more about this family-run social enterprise and how it empowers women from their country and how they manufacture a collection of affordable luxury moisturizing shea butters from the tree to the shelf.

How did the brand get its start?

My family is from Ghana so my mom grew up with shea butter everywhere – my grandma, Grandma Sunshine, used it as a midwife on pregnant moms and babies to help prevent the appearance of stretch marks and diaper rash. After living in the US for 30 years, Mom returned to Ghana and rediscovered her love of shea butter, but realized the marginalization of the base of the chain. She started a company to bridge the gap between these rural shea nut pickers and global shea butter demand, by selling in bulk to brands and distributors. She became an expert in the space and the President of the Global Shea Alliance. Along the way, we realized that though a million products claim to have shea butter in them, many have just token amounts so we developed lines of finished products for consumers using the motto: the more shea butter the better, but not all shea is created equally. Our products have upwards of 60x the amount of shea butter as peers and Mom practically wrote the book on what it means to make good shea, so we’re confident about our quality.

What’s the inspiration behind the brand’s name?

It’s my mom’s shea!

What inspired the creation of your whipped shea butter?

Our first brand, Eu’Genia Shea, was created as more of a balm for specific target areas of concern. Mother’s Shea is more of a cream that was developed for whole body use.

How do you manufacture your Whipped Shea Butter?

Our company is completely vertically integrated from tree to shelf. We partner with 7500 organically trained and sustainably paid pickers in northern Ghana, purchase nuts from them and then manufacture those nuts into shea butter according the to methods Mom developed as President of the Global Shea Alliance. That shea butter gets shipped to the US where it’s whipped with shea oil, apricot oil, sunflower oil, and whichever scent we’re using.

What is the shelf-life of your shea butter?

The shelf life depends on how you store it (room temperature is fine and it will melt in the heat), but it can last up to three years. 

What other fragrances does it come in?

Mother’s Shea comes in eucalyptus, lavender, rose and vanilla.

Talk to us about the brand’s social responsibility on supporting the women of Ghana.

We are dedicated to fair wages as well as donating 15% of our profits back to our supply chain in the form of an education fund for their children.

What advice can you give to other women who aspire to start their own businesses?

Forethought is important, but sometimes you have to just get in and go from there. The first idea may not take off right away, but you can always pivot – the crucial part is that you try!

Where can we find your whipped shea butter?

We are so excited to partner with Target with our moisture-rich Whipped Shea Butter. Mother’s Shea is now available at Target.

Each of our subscribers will receive a travel size Vanilla Whipped Shea Butter in their November Box. What is the one thing you’d like to leave them with?

Moisturized skin! To keep us up with Mother’s Shea, you can follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.