SoC Burkina Faso: A women-owned shea butter company: from a social model to a competitive market model

The Nununa Federation brings together 4,000 women shea producers in Burkina Faso. Shea is traditionally collected and processed by women. In 2009, the Federation changed its business model completely with the support of SNV to become, today, a profitable semi-industrial processing unit with diversified export outlets, whose shareholders are the women producers. The production of shea butter was increased by industrializing the processing of the butter, which enabled the Federation to become more competitive, to increase profitability and redistribute more profits to its thousands of women members. At the same time women earned more from selling the kernels and could diversify their income by for example producing and selling sesame. The 4,000 members have profited from a 95% increase in income from shea production, while the position and workload of women shea nut collectors has also improved. Additionally, together with their families, they are benefiting from social activities stimulated and financed by the Federation, such as health insurance and education. In total, these changes in shea production have changed the lives of more than 24,000 people.