Deluxe aim to bring the benefits of Shea Butter to the world whilst empowering local individuals and their communities, providing employment and opportunity to create a sustainable quality of life.
HOW IT STARTED
Deluxe began operations in 2007 when the two founding brothers formed a partnership with their mother and Auntie, the late Nana Adubea Yeboah II, Traditional Chief of Aduamoa in Kwahu, Ghana. Initially they supplied Shea butter to the Ghanaian community in their adopted hometown of Adelaide, Australia.
With awareness of Shea Butter increasing as well as the consciousness of the benefits of Shea butter - Deluxe Shea Butter Australia grew steadily from local roots to be an international presence. Shea butter is largely used in Ghana with families using it for generations for its rejuvenating and healing qualities. Deluxe are an ethical company that endorses fair trade, sustainability and caring for the environment.
GROWING AND PROCESSING
Ghana arguably has the best Shea butter in the world because the nuts have the most desirable chemical balance, and the traditional processing methods create a very clean butter.
The Shea nut tree pollinates during the harmattan period and cares for itself till after 4 years when it starts to produce fruits. Harvesting of the Shea fruit is done between mid-May through to end of July, whereas the butter processing usually takes place from June through to August. Since the Shea tree is not cultivated, ownership is by those whose farm it grows on.
Traditionally it has been the women who go and pluck or gather the Shea nuts. The women sometimes have to travel as far as 17 kilometres on foot and carry bags weighing more than 40kgs on their head whilst carrying their children on their backs. Working within the Shea trade in many cases is the only form and sole source of income for these women and their families. As a producer and supplier, Deluxe work closely with women co-operative groups that operate within our Deluxe Shea Butter Ghana Network of Pickers and Processors located in the northern region of Ghana, to pick and process the Shea nuts.
The Shea nuts provide more than just one thing to the community of Ghana. They use the whole Shea nut for multiple purposes with nothing going to waste:
- Shea oil which is obtained from the Shea nuts is used as cooking oil in the northern part of Ghana, as well as oil for the locals to light up their lamps at night.
- The skin of the Shea nut is eaten
- The bark of the tree is also used as a prophylactic against certain childhood illness and minor scrapes and cuts.
- The dry shell of the nut when burnt acts as an effective mosquito repellent.
- The residue left after the butter has been collected during the extraction process is used as organic manure by the local farmers for their crops.
HOW DELUXE IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
At Deluxe Shea Butter, it’s the people behind the product who make it all happen. Their premium, fair trade products are a direct result of giving members of the Ghanaian communities a fair go with a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
The main aim of Deluxe is to bring the benefits of shea butter to the world whilst empowering local individuals and their communities, providing employment and opportunity to create a sustainable quality of life. Deluxe company values include success through people, relationships, empowerment, respect, speed, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Deluxe Shea Butter Australia are proud of their unique and rich heritage which encompasses a blend of two cultures. True to their Ghanaian Akan tradition of Sankofa, they have gone back to bring the benefits of Shea butter to the world.
