This is the story of Naa-Sakle Akuete
A woman who had a career in finance before she ventured into entrepreneurship. It was in the spring of 2015 that Akuete initially introduced her line of shea butter cream to the world. This was about a year after officially founding the company along with the help of her mother, Eugenia.
Eugenia moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 1981 with her husband. She was fond of using unrefined shea butter from her homeland and began selling the product to bulk suppliers in 2000 through her own company. Eugenia built the business, named Naasakle, with the help of paid farmers in Ghana that were using only sustainable farming methods.
Quality is important to Eugenia
The problem with bulk selling was that many of the customers were not as concerned with the quality of the product as Eugenia. Akuete knew that consumers would feel differently about the products they purchased for their own use. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer the pair decided they needed to spend more time together. Akuete used her own knowledge to help build on her mother’s company with the Eugenia Shea business. She spent her evenings and weekends on the project. The idea took off immediately and the business grew so rapidly Akuete had to leave her job in finance to provide the amount of time and energy to the business it needed.
Consumers were instantly impressed with the organic product and the high level of shea butter each cream contained. The company guarantees that every cream they offer will contain at least 82 percent shea butter. This is more than double than most manufacturers use in their own products. Shea butter is known as a very beneficial cream that is nourishing for the skin and contains a natural anti-inflammatory that helps to promote healing. It is used in numerous health and beauty products. Pure, unrefined cream contains more of the vitamins that make it so advantageous for the skin.
The sustainably sourced butter, high-quality creams and the commitment from the pair to reward the farmers that supplied them and to provide more opportunity to the people of Ghana drew enormous amounts of interest from the media and consumers. The Eugenia Shea organization is dedicated to providing assistance to the people of Ghana, where the butter is harvested. The company pays their suppliers a rate that is 20 percent above the median income in the area. They help to promote employment opportunities for female workers in the West African nation, are currently planning on building a factory in the country and donate a portion of their profits to a Ghanian educational fund.
I love supporting brands that are committed to a cause don’t you?
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