Narrator: Women in West Africa
have been turning shea nuts
into butter for centuries.
The process is hard,
requiring at least three women to mix one pot.
The yellow paste is often called "women's gold."
And for many in northern Ghana,
it's the only source of income.
Narrator: People across Africa
have used it for skin and hair care,
food, and medicine
for at least 700 years.
And in recent decades,
it's become a global sensation.
International customers often
buy larger quantities from companies
that can produce it faster,
making it harder for traditional farmers.
But the biggest threat is right
in their backyard.
For the past four decades,
men have been cutting down
the very tree that provides
livelihood to many families.
We traveled to Ghana to find out
how, despite the challenges,
this group of women artisans
is still standing.
The day starts with a two-hour trek
to the forest for many women
in the town of Yinduri.
The journey can be dangerous.
They have to travel in groups
to avoid armed robbers
lurking in the forest.
And they risk getting bitten by snakes
when walking through the grass.
Narrator: The shea tree grows
along a dry savanna belt
that stretches from East to West Africa.
Only the ripe shea nuts
that have fallen from the tree are ready.
The return home can also be physically taxing.
The women carry more than 25 kilograms
of seeds on their heads.
They first wash the seeds
and let them dry for a week.
Then it's time for cracking.
The nuts are ready when the kernel
starts to rattle against the shell.
Only the good ones are made into butter.
The bad nuts are used
to make a special food called kanwu
and as fertilizer on their farms.
This attention to detail
sets traditional shea butter
apart from commercially made ones.
Narrator: Portia Asumda
has led an organization
called Titiaka Boressa
for the last three years.
The group provides cooking pots
and training for shea farmers
in the Talensi district.
It also teaches them
how to pick the best-quality nuts
for their product.
They crack the nuts
into smaller pieces with a brick,
then roast them over an open fire
until they become fragrant.
This helps release the oils
that gives shea butter
its nutty taste and smell.
Narrator: It's one of the skills
Akunia Alahire is teaching her daughter.
She has been making shea butter
for more than half her life.
Narrator: She grinds the shea nut pieces by hand.
Some shea farmers have invested
in grinding mills to make this step easier.
But Akunia takes pride in sticking
to techniques that date back
to the 14th century.
Narrator: The divots in these rocks
provide the perfect working space.
Narrator: The women only produce
small batches at a time
to ensure the quality will be consistent.
It's all hands on deck
when it comes to mixing the shea paste.
The work can be grueling
and takes a lot of strength.
Narrator: They do this for one hour
to get the right consistency.
The water activates the butter.
Slowly, it separates and floats to the top.
Akunia melts the butter in another fire
using wood that was harvested in the forest.
She waits until it turns
a deep chocolate color.
Narrator: The shea oil will cool
and be sold as unrefined butter.
The first accounts of shea butter use
date back to 14th-century Burkina Faso.
It's been used in West African households
as a cooking fat
and a moisturizing salve for skin.
Legend has it that even
the Egyptian queen Cleopatra
appreciated the butter
for its hydrating power.
In recent decades,
global demand for shea butter
has increased dramatically.
Its healing properties
and high levels of vitamins
have made it the ultimate ingredient
for skin-care products across the world.
In the last 20 years alone,
annual exports have increased 600%.
But with new demand have come new challenges.
Deforestation, competition from bigger companies,
and a global pandemic
have threatened the livelihoods
of small-scale shea farmers.
Narrator: Faster, machine-run
shea processing plants in Ghana
have also begun taking over the market,
making it difficult
for this group of women to keep up.
It takes them an entire month
to produce what a big factory
can do in three days.
Deforestation is also an ongoing battle.
Since the 1990s,
men have been cutting down
shea nut trees to make charcoal for commercial use.
Around 8 million trees are cut each year.
Narrator: Shea butter-making
has sustained generations of women in Ghana.
Today, many depend on it
as their only source of income.
Narrator: Organizations like Portia's
teach traditional shea farmers
how to produce better-quality butter
and understand its value in the local market.
With this knowledge,
they can take home
a higher profit from their sales.
Narrator: The organization
is also working to combat deforestation.
Over the last two years,
it's planted 7,000 shea trees
in hopes of repopulating the parklands.
Although there are many challenges,
Portia sees a bright future ahead.
Narrator: Young women are still
interested in learning the craft.
And she hopes that expanding her business
will give more opportunities
to people looking to learn
the skill in its traditional form.
Narrator: For women here,
shea butter is a symbol
of prosperity and independence.
And they are determined
to pass it on to the younger generation.