Shea nuts

Shea (Vitellaria Paradoxa) is a tree that grows in the West African savannahs.

Its name means butter tree.

It can grow up to 15 metres high and its trunk up to one metre in diameter.

The tree grows wild in countries such as Sudan, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana, where the highest quality trees are found.

The fruit of the shea tree is called a nut and is a fleshy fruit with a woody texture and a thin shell.

There is only a single seed inside each nut.

Shea butter has been used in Africa since time immemorial.

To make this butter, the nuts are collected and washed. They are crushed, roasted and passed through a mill to obtain a very liquid brown paste.

It is then churned by hand to separate the butter from the other components.

The resulting butter is brought to the boil and filtered several times to remove impurities.

The aim is to achieve a clean product.

The butter is edible and used in local cuisine, although its main use is in the cosmetic field due to its moisturising and nourishing properties.