Working towards fair shea – Our trip to Chera, Ghana

At the start of 2025, BeriVita and Matt25 Foundation traveled together to Chera, a small village in northern Ghana. We flew via Amsterdam to the capital, Accra. From there, we took a domestic flight to Tamale, followed by an eight-hour drive—packed tightly in a car—with the Ghanaian project manager of the Matt25 Foundation as our guide and driver.

What began as an exploratory mission has since grown into a concrete collaboration. In Chera, we met a women’s group dedicated to producing shea butter—a natural product used by millions worldwide, though its true story is rarely told.

Women in Ghana often sell their shea butter to professional middlemen at low prices, leaving their income and living conditions uncertain. Our partnership with the women’s group—based on trust and the sharing of knowledge and resources— enables them to generate a stable income year-round. At the same time, we work to structurally improve working and living conditions within the community.

From nut to pure butter – an artisanal process

Shea butter is extracted from the nut inside the fruit of the African shea tree. This tree grows in the wild on the dry savannas of West Africa. It can reach up to 15 meters in height, and live for as long as 100 years. It only begins to bear fruit after about 20 years. In dry years, the harvest is smaller, directly affecting local production and the women’s income.

The production process is intensive and largely manual. The women collect the nuts, dry, roast, grind, and knead them until a creamy, nourishing butter emerges. Despite some mechanization—such as in the kneading—the work remains physically demanding. In temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, the women work over open fires, day in and day out.

Shea butter is a beloved ingredient in skincare products: a pure, natural substance that hydrates and protects the skin. What many people don’t realize is how much strength, craftsmanship, and dedication goes into every jar. In Chera, we saw it with our own eyes. The work is about more than just butter—it provides income, independence, and pride in a region where drought and poverty shape daily life. These women are the backbone of their families and community.

Discover the full shea butter process here.

Our collaboration: from Chera to the Netherlands

During our visit to Ghana, we discussed how to improve working conditions and income security for the women. The collaboration between Matt25 Foundation and BeriVita marks a key milestone in this process: short supply chains, fair prices, and direct purchasing—without exploitative middlemen. At the same time, we recognize that real impact must come from within. That’s why we invest in local capacity building and empowerment, so the community can eventually operate independently.

A special moment was when we saw the women at work and were invited to join the production process. It turned out to be not only intense—especially in the scorching heat—but also incredibly educational. We gained firsthand insight into their daily work and experienced the physical strength, precision, and teamwork it requires. It was inspiring to see women of different ages and religions producing shea butter together—while eating, laughing, praying, and supporting one another. A community in harmony, working on a product we often take for granted in the Netherlands.iken.

During our stay, a bushfire broke out near the village. In no time, people came rushing in from all directions—running, on motorbikes, carrying buckets of water on their heads and branches with leaves in their hands to fight the flames. The speed, determination, and teamwork with which the community tackled the fire was truly impressive. Of course, we helped too, but at the same time we realized: this kind of immediate, collective action is rare in the Netherlands. There, we rely on fire trucks and sirens—here, people rely on each other. It was an experience that deeply moved us and showed just how strong and resilient this community truly is.

We also visited the local chief. In Ghana, tradition and hierarchy play a major role, and without his approval, collaboration with the community is nearly impossible. Personal relationships and building trust are essential—they form the bridge between good intentions and lasting impact. Those who understand and respect local dynamics lay the foundation for a partnership that truly endures.

The power of fair trade

What we brought back from Ghana goes far beyond a product or a project. It’s about trust. About truly seeing and valuing people. And about recognizing what is needed to make sustainable change possible. In a market often dominated by middlemen and profit-driven motives, we are building a different story: one of a beautiful and honest product, made by strong women in a community that is taking control of its own future.

The collaboration between Matt25 Foundation and BeriVita in Chera marks an important next step. Not as an endpoint, but as a conscious choice to start small and focused, and to make a tangible difference right there. The goal: stable income for the women, optimized production, and the foundation for long-term stability. We also focus on innovation in reuse—such as using wastewater for irrigation, and the so-called “cake,” a by-product of the production process, as a natural fertilizer. Not isolated improvements, but a holistic approach aimed at self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on external aid.

Looking Ahead

We believe in a future where women’s groups in northern Ghana unite in cooperatives. In many regions, there is only one dominant buyer who plays women against each other and forces down prices. Because the women are often illiterate, untrained, and speak only the local language, they remain dependent on these systems. Cooperatives can break this cycle and create space for fair trade.

But we are deliberately starting small. In Chera. With relationships built on mutual trust, with short lines of communication, and with the strength of women who are making a difference together. Because lasting change begins locally.

In conclusion

Shea butter is more than just a skincare product – it is the result of craftsmanship, resilience, and collaboration. And as we saw in Chera: when you invest in people, much more grows than just a harvest.

Fortunately, we can now enjoy shea butter from Chera here in the Netherlands. In doing so, we not only care for our skin, but also contribute to a fairer world for the women and communities behind the product.