Why East African Shea Butter Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- When you hear "shea butter," you probably think of the West African kind. But in East Africa, a different variety of shea nut grows, called nilotica. It's easier to spread and absorbs quickly into the skin, which makes it more desirable in cosmetics. In Uganda, nilotica producers are trying to meet growing demand for this butter.
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Why East African Shea Butter Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
I’m sick of seeing all these people put in such hard work for an expensive product but not getting paid nearly as much as they should
*cough* capitalism *cough*
That’s what happens when you can’t use your brain
Cocoa, sugar cane, cotton, diamonds, gold shall I continue?????
@@gisellespringer ooh and you forgot oil too
? are you a little white girl lol
I'm Kenyan and I know this is going to hurt my pockets a little since I just started using Ugandan shea butter, but they need to increase the price, especially when selling internationally. These hard working women deserve to profit more from it. I'm ashamed I didn't know about the limited supply and how much work it took to produce it.
the problem is that the middle man always earns the most, the ones that do all the hard work earn less ;-( to preserve the nature and keep it local which is best for them and the environment, the international demand should be keeot minimal..... most products are produced hugely but end up in rubbish when they reach abroad and the locals are left harmed for no good reason.
Fellow Kenyan here. This was so informative! I use the butter as well. Let's hope M7 is going to put some of that newly-discovered gold to good use and invest in modern farming and processing equipment so that these women can earn more.
The problem is the world n how it has formed in the market. The middle men always get the profit when really it should be that the original sellers HIRE the middle men n pay them little to sell instead.
Don’t forget they have competition with west African Shea butter which is abundant.
I agree it should be $75-80 a jar overseas. I think it’s also about preventing a war. Are they protected? What’s stopping a group from taking it away from them?
African nations need to start leveraging such products when exporting. Increase the price for exports, they deserve it as well as the economy
Yes, and crash the market. Price it too high and only the lucky ones will be able to afford it. Retailers will pass additional costs to end users and consumers.
Cosmetics can be made out of dozens of oils. There's no leverage.
Love from India to our hard working African people.
The raw form reminds me of something. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Its familiar to me too and too cant put my finger on it
It's very familiar 💀
I see it everyday but I cant remember
@@mayankprajapat4591 Yeah idk what it is but i have seen it before
It’s just killing me too….
I want to thank you Business Insider for finally coming to my home village. Shea butter is a very nutritious oil and medicinal as well. I'm proud of you. Thanks for the good work
I just hope your people are paid fairly for this hard work.
Can you tell me if there is a brand or web site i can buy this? I want to purchase some for my mom but want my purchase to go to the communities and people more then some inport/export company.
@@tripsquared_greenworks It is basically made by indigenous women who have no websites or companies. It's sold locally in the market. However, arrangements can be made and have it shipped to you.
I would love to buy this straight from these women! I will definitely do some research to find out how to purchase this directly from them as opposed to giving my money to some POS corporation!
I wish you guys had a better regulatory government dealer.
Selling it to companies or local dealers prob yields very low income. Government should step in, and export it at better prices for a better profit to the workers. Africa is rich in resources , if govt steps in and manages exports . It can really boost the local economy.
I'm Nigerian & I use the west Africa shea butter but after seeing this, definitely I must hunt for this Ugandan Shea Butter 😊😊😊
Yeah, definitely!
Facts.
me too
Is it available in Nigeria, where can I get
@@prajithk.p8369 its available in deesn
That thumbnail though
Whoever chose the thumbnail definitely is a person of culture as well.
Bruh🤣
I was looking for this comment..
Bro
Exactly I'm going to tell this
This is my kingdom come
Uganda's shea butter smells soo good, like honey mixed with something flowery. They truly deserve more.
I had no idea it smelt that way, that's so cool!! And yeah, totally agree with you. Nobody should work for free
How do you buy directly from them
I want some! Where can I order?!
How can we order directly from them please?
I'm your 500th liker here & bye.
i can't be the only who saw the thumbnail and thought....
That thumbnail tho! ☠️☠️
I would definitely like to see these women have a facility to do this work and make it easier on them but be able to sell it themselves to those markets that want it. That deforestation is a problem in all areas where Indigenous live. I wish them well and would love to buy shea butter directly from them.
Hi Joan! I'm a grants management professional working in Nairobi. If you're interested, we could partner and upscale the value chain from a social enterprise stand point. HMU.
@@kevinmuriuki550 How would u do that? Just interested,
@@kevinmuriuki550 is there a brand that profits the people and communities more then some business conglomeration?
Hi Joan, I work and come from the community where these women are producing this product , I will be delighted to connect you to them and be able to share Thier product with you
Yes @Ryan there is
In Uganda, the Shea trees grow more abundantly in the northern region. When I was in high school in the central region, an Acholi friend from the north used to bring a homemade appetizer made from Shea. He called it "moya". He described the tree from which the stuff was made but we had never heard of it. He loved that stuff. But it tasted awful to the rest of us, which was ok for him because it meant that he didn't have to share it with us.
It also grows in abundance in the northern region of west African countries like Nigeria and Ghana.
i used to hate moya while growing up......hahahhaah now i must ask my done to bring some from the village hahahhahaa
Looool..!
I wish I had some to give my father for his joint pain
As an Acholi I totally understand u.. it's just that we grow up eating it so it's delicious to us.. in the village it's even a meal in poverty stricken home.. it's melted by steaming then salt is added to it . Then u eat it as sauce with either boiled cassava.. potatoes.. even posho🤦🏿♀️😅 but cold pressed Shea butter isn't eaten
Thumbnail is kinda sus looking
The thumbnail looks like my usual Friday night
Kinda disgusting how the value of a product goes up so much once big corporations take it from the hands on workers who made it.
But yet thats what’s necessary to sell it so not disgusting
@@treygregory5360 No it's still pretty disgusting. These women should be the ones making the most money in this situation.
@@boingbong7348 they said the price increases after exporting it. That’s a huge fuel cost, vehicle cost, labor cost, marketing cost, retail overhead, packaging cost, etc, etc, etc, etc. I understand in a Utopian society everyone would get 100% and all. But you have to understand business. If the corporate side didn’t do their job, the ladies would never sell beyond their village. Think
@@treygregory5360 maybe it would be better if they didn’t sell much outside their Village though bc it sounds like they are over farming / running low on their resources. Also all the extra transport and packaging just creates waste / pollution. Is there really no way to grow these trees in other areas?
@@__rm307 sounds like they're not rly growing it at all. Tree farms can take a decade to reach production
as a sudanese, I had no idea it was this hard to make shea butter.
Sud at nese nuts
Sudanese nuts!
Chocolate
RIght? I'd prolly have to mortgage my house for the east kind. LOL.
It's a wild world buddy.
Came for the thumbnail, stayed for the thumbnail.
In Dagestan, we have similar product, but we skip last step. We don't separate oil from the mass. We eat this mass and its called 'urbech'. We use mostly seeds of flax or apricot nuts for this. In finally for better taste we mix it with honey and ghee oil. Дагестан вперёд!!!!
since its easier to spread and absorbs quickly into the skin, which makes it more desirable in cosmetics, i think its only fair it doesnt come cheap
Agree I just brought 5 lbs for 65 USD. After testing I will be buying some more
@@troper1102 holy crap 5 pounds? do you bathe in it? (only kidding)
@@jordanearl5449 maybe but my daughter and me have Eczema and in the summer time we don't like heavy butters.
In cosmetics its mixed with other ingredients and packaged pretty. Its cousin is thicker, almost a soft hard paste but shaved thinly then held in the hand, body heat softens it to a useable 100% pure organic state and its far cheaper.
@@thebastardgift heat up a spoon and East African shea butter is easy to apply
Wow.
An episode that doesn't show the locals being exploited the hell out of. Actually awesome.
its happening alright, they just arent showing it
@@patrickormerod3472 it probably is. But this is the one time where they at least show that the company doing the harvesting and producing are actually being the primary benefitors. Went online to look up their product and I see that they at least show they're trying to do good.
Things seem to go A LOT better for producers when there's no bullsh*t middleman getting the lion's share of the product.
This happens when it isn't industrialised.
@@Matteus2109 yeah locals sell it for 12 market price is 53 lol.
We use both West and East African Shea. However, the East we use sparingly as it is more expensive but it melts faster and absorbs quicker. It is a great product and I am thankful for these ladies.
Thumbnail kinda sus lol
I love Shea Butter! Since using it, my skin has definitely benefited from it as I have a chronic condition that dries my skin. I never knew there was another type of Shea depending on which side of the African continent it is made in. I will gladly pay more to support the hard work that goes into making the butter. These ladies are making a difference in a lot of lives, and they deserve to be compensated!
yes, let's hope that by paying extra that those who cultivate them will see the difference in the price they collect at the market.
I too have dry skin issue , you can also try some herbs it works miraculously.
the expense is worth it if the money if passed on to it's actual harvestors, creators/curators...fact is most of the inflated price goes to the pockets of Loreal, P&G, Uniliver, etc....
Agreed.
I want to be able to like this more than once
Yeah, I can attest that this is not the price in Uganda. I buy a kg of high quality shea butter in Kampala for 9 USD. Most of the profit goes to companies abroad.
That's something totally new for me, I always used Ghanian Shea butter which is amazing, but I would like to know more about this Ugandan and Sudanese Shea butter, such an interesting topic, I love Africa and I'm proud to be African!
The thumbnail tho 🌝💀
Finally, I saw an episode from my mother land. The pearl of Africa.
Gorgeous people and a beautiful culture ❤️
More like kindey stone
@@meerderheidsverslag1233 shut up
I wish for the profit to go to these hard working people who supply the world with something precious!
Absolutely! 👏👏👏 they sure deserve it . There cultural knowledge and work so hard as little girls. ✝️
It wont . Sadly, these poor producers will be exploited
And it doesn’t really go to them. That’s Capitalism in a nutshell for ya.
Why can’t they sell it directly to consumers instead of buyers?
The thumbnail
*Uncanny mr incredible*
That thumbnail has got me thinking naughty things...
I immediately went to find some nilotica shea. I’m broke but my kid suffers from eczema and loves shea during flair ups, it’s one of the only products she’s willing to use when it’s in the inflamed, painful stage. But she dislikes how thick it is and how it sits on her skin so long before absorbing. I’m hoping this might be what she’s been wanting. Also I put an occlusive layer on ad a last step in my skin care evry night, bc I have dry skin normally and I’m using tretinoin. I have a feeling this will replace my normal balms.
nilotica soap and oil helped clear my baby's eczema completely. i would highly recommend getting a good quality product that is completely pure and hasnt been processed further
Well why don't you try virgin coconut oil or sesame seed oil , like half an hour to 15 min or so before having a bath , spread it on the skin, and use a gentle body shampoo to remove the excess 🙄, it's still cheaper than shea butter.
@@tempest031 we’ve used coconut oil since she was a baby, it’s just not thick enough. Like her fav product so far is when I made her balms/butters using shea or coco butter, and coconut oil but it’s such a pain to make. The Nilotica looks like the butters I make. Also she’s a teenager now and prone to teenage acne, and coconut oil doesn’t really work for her face where she’s been getting the worst of the eczema in recent years. I’ve read some people have a reaction to coconut oil that causes acne. coconut oil is great for when the flair ups flair ups on her hands and arms are past the red inflamed stage, and in the dry, scaly, itchy stage.
@@nancygitonga714 yeah k found some cold pressed Nilotica I’m going to try. It’s only 2 oz but it’s $9 so it’s a good tester. If it works I’ll buy the larger tub that’s a lot more expensive. Also I highly rec Shikai advanced therapy borage oil lotion. It’s wonderful for dryness and when your past the worst part of the eczema. It’s literally the only lotion my kid will use. I also have dry skin and I’ve never had lotion work as well as this one. They also make a borage oil soap made specifically for pole with skin conditions. It can be hard to find but Amazon has it. There is the normal borage lotion and it’s great too, especially in summer, but for the most extreme dryness, and for skin that’s recovering from an eczema flair up, I can’t rec the advanced therapy enough.
Shea butter isn't colloidal oatmeal. Use colloidal oatmeal
Business Insider definitely playing the thumbnail game
anyone else click on this video just bc of the thumbnail?
Love it. I'm so disappointed they aren't getting what they deserve
cold pressed is 100 % better, you keep the vitamins ,antioxidants and the amount of it , do not let you be told otherwise
Where would you purchase it?
Yeah of course it's better you're not burning everything out of it. These women would have their minds blown if they just had someone come with a welder and weld a bottle jack in place of their hand crank.
Look at how lush and beautiful their skins are!
They don't eat fastfood maybe thats why? Not the Western diet
@@mushi475 maybe, but if it's a testament to their nilotica shea butter I must say they've got me x)
Such a shame that the villagers only receive a fraction of the profits. Such hard work.
One like for the thumbnail.
This explains why their skin is so beautiful!!❤️❤️
I am here to read comments after watching thumbnail.
👆👆Opportunities don’t happen, you create them... make it up ⬆️⬆️
Hallelujah 🙌. Our part of the world getting coverage. Earlier today it was Kenya's black gold (coffee). Thanks business Insider for promoting our products. African products are rare-earth.
Do you know how we can buy directly from these women?
THIS IS MY KINGDOM COME
THIS IS MY KINGDOM COME
THIS IS MY KINGDOM COME
This is one the limited jobs where your hands get actually smoother with the more work you do haha! I wish carpentry worked like that
It could be worse - Like working with cement. Or sewage!
Business Insider I need you to post links to businesses that sell these products! Now I gotta find East African Shea butter on my own
Try 3CayG. They are in Jacksonville but will ship to you.
Ok. Go find it on your damn own. They don’t NEED to do anything.
Why is nobody talking about the thumbnail lol
That thumbnail tho😳
0:16 everything reminds me of him
This can prevent hiv but not monkey pox because it can seal the tear immidietly
You mean 0:16 ?
👆👆Opportunities don’t happen, you create them... make it up ⬆️⬆️
What I don't hear being said is how much of the sales do they get back for the hard work they put into making the butter? 3 weeks to complete a product means more work gets put into it, so it makes sense for the price to be up too with the quality being that nice.
And shea butter has been helpful for my skin problems but wow, what I get doesn't soak in that fast. It's more like the other version where you have to keep rubbing it, but I have figured out a way to thin it and it still works the same for moisturizing.
They get very little, they dont make more than 5 000ugx per day which is 1.2$ . That is why people in Uganda dont care for those trees. Reach people see big money in that buisnes but really locals wont get anything.
I microwave mine for 10 seconds and it works fine
This looks so good. I wish I could go to Africa just to get the authentic thing!
ain’t no one gon talk bout the thumbnail? ☠️☠️‼️‼️
When I heard "Shea Butter" I didnt really think of any variety whatsoever; though now I've clicked on the video I can learn it exists and there's a difference.
They should Charge More for their product !
Especially since demand greatly exceeds supply.
But people (labourers)won't be aware of demand and profit of this product and people in middle make profits fooling innocent people paying them few bucks
OMG OMG! THIS IS FROM MY VILLAGE IN UGANDA. I HAD NO IDEA THE PRODUCT I GREW UP EATING WAS SO EXPENSIVE
I wish the narrators would take the time to learn how to properly pronounce our names the same way we struggle to learn theirs.
Thumbnail caught me off guard
this is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
👆👆Opportunities don’t happen, you create them... make it up ⬆️⬆️
As a west African I can't believe I've never known of this
I don't know why my mind went straight to bad things just after seeing the thumbnail once 😂
Indians ☕
@@usa5450 your mom☕
Same🤣🤣
Same 😂😂😂
😁😁✊✊✊
Men of culture we meet again , the thumbnail speaks it all.
Bruvv that thumbnail my brain hurts rn 💀💀
Proud to watch a video about Uganda that is focusing on the bright side rather than always the dark stories about my motherland. Thank you Business Insider.
Btw Business Insider Uganda also has Black Castor Oil, how does it compare with the other Black Castor Oils from Jamaica, Haiti, etc? 😀😀
6:39 sorry not sorry…
Power of thumbnail😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
Came here for the comments referring to a similar looking substance...yup. not disappointed 😂
The tree and its nuts looks similar to the indian mahua tree..
Mahua nuts r also used for cooking oil..
I think we should also try to make butter from it..
The tree and its nuts, man that screams sus
This butter looks soo good it might actually be able to give life to someone.
Happy to see this, thank goodness I have a lot of people in EA who can get me this Uganda Shea butter. Watching from Nigeria
This is what true Femenism looks like… such hardworking women should be our inspiration
I love the sweet smell of Shea butter. Shea butter can be a good source of revenue for Africa. It has good percentage of oil in it.
Africa is a continent.Shea trees do not grow in all African countries
@@Me-xoxoz I know few countries in the African continent are home to Shea trees .Instead of naming them i said Africa.
Lmao the thumbnail
Its amazing to see their hard work and efforts, and the beautiful product it turns into however although i do love this product i think that the price should still be higher. These women work very hard especially considering they do all of this without factories or heavy machine production.
Wonderful video full of valuable insights into this special commodity and the inspiring people that produce it. Thank you for this enlightening video.
I have used both Western and Nilotica shea butter I do prefer both. It’s hard to find the East African Shea Butter unless you know Ugandan who live buy you some on their return trip from home in the region where it’s produce. The women need to produce various products and sell the products online and towards tourists visiting and diaspora moving to country. I prefer buying brands made by the indigenous groups directly it supports their families and communities directly instead of through third party brand.
I am a Ugandan Canadian based in Toronto. I do have Uganda Shea Butter. Please let me know if you are in North America. Will certainly send you some. Thank you.
@@aunties5798 Do you have a website?
@@aunties5798 please website or something. I’m interested
Thank you for speaking the truth. Each is unique in it own way and has its own use. West African Shea butter is an actual BUTTER not just some semi liquid . I didn't like the way this whole video puts down the West African Shea butter
"This is my kingdom come, This is my kingdom come"
That thumbnail is actually insane 💀💀😳
This must be why africans have beautiful glowing skin ❤ I hope the people that do all the hard work are receiveing a good payment for their work
I love Shea.. Even if it's expensive I am still buying it because it is the only shampoo my daughter's like. Shea Moisture ❤️
I like the ugandan shea butter. We always mix in our meals but i have never liked processing it. I find it so hectic but thanks to my mother who always does that.
Good News, My I can naturally make raw shea butter with my own body...
They've been using the machine since 1997 yet it's still in great condition, amazing
It looks like a simple screw press, I don't see much that could break.
@@psirvent8 I mean besides that it still works, it is still clean and well maintained, most food equipment that you see nowadays wear off in just a couple of years
that's what i thought too loool that machine is still in mint conditon as it was first purched
The world we live in is sooooo different from the world they live in. Can y’all imagine doing this on a daily basis? I mean their strength and diligence is impeccable 💪🏾.
The thumbnail Doe 💧💧💀
LOL
thumbnail looks very sus 🤨
The fact that they were able to discover and how to extract the oil from the nuts, is mind blowing.
How? You act like people haven't been making extracts for thousands of years.
@@P0k3D0nd3M4cG Yeah, well-meaning but pretty patronising comment.
Teeth.
@@DanBrown96 yep, these people figured out that if you crush something and squeeze it stuff comes out... That's like basically the same with every other plant 🤣
Yeah I agree with you. They're not amazing for figuring that out they're amazing for working with what little they have.
I feel that you meant well, but your comment really sounds like a backhanded compliment.
That thumbnail could also be used on some other platforms that I cant just say here now
Appreciated !
Write me using the digit added to my name okay
Shea butter is my favorite scent! Didn't know this is how complicated it is produced
So glad to see you reach my homeland/ people" business insider!!
Pov : you straight up jumped into comments after seeing the thumbnail 💀
Appreciated !
Write me using the digit added to my name okay
Affirmative
Facts 😭😭
@@Houston583 what are you
"I can't quite put my finger on it" like bro you touch it pretty often lmao.
Off topic but I love the dresses they're wearing. So flowy yet air crosses so it doesn't make them too hot. Plus the colourful prints are so beautiful
4:12 minecraft walking on grass sound effect
I dead appreciate these vids insider makes its very enlightening
They need to plant more Nilotica Shea Trees!!!
They don't grow when planted. People have tried but it only grows wild.
@@eliazali_4200 Oh That's not good. How do these trees reproduce??? May e Scientists and Botanists can research a way to grow them!!! Yes? By the way...Thank you for your reply🙂
@@damianlopez7630 We already have shea nuts on our bodies. Two of them
that does not work for most native east African plants. the plants only grow wild, if you try replanting them they don't grow
@@fandroid6491 what do you mean,it is on our body???
Shea butter is the best solution for all my skin issues I really love the relief I get from it. Maybe we should grow more of these amazing nuts.
Proudly African I salute Children of African Soil❤️💯
they should call it Ugandan butter. It gives it more of a presence and also let us know that there are valuable resources in africa, and they deserve more respect and fair value of the hardwork. Not exploitation
Imagine if we sent them equipment and helped them purchase land rather than send them shoes and clothes which they don’t need.
You will lose the quality
i love how it feels on my face and hair its just really refreshing
I hate my mind🥶😬