Real Shea
That Backs
Women

As a social enterprise, Alaffia invests back in the West African communities that produce our pure golden shea butter.

Meet Olowo-n'djo
Olowo-n'djo and his mother, Ina, smiling side by side in colorful patterned clothing against a pink textured background with a blue shape and white heart.

Olowo-n'djo Tchala, Alaffia's Founder with his mother, Ina

Meet Olowo-n'djo

One of the most important lessons I've learned in life came from my mother, Ina.

Growing up in Togo, my family had very little. But even when we had barely enough for ourselves, she always shared our food with hungry travelers passing through our village. She taught me that no matter how little you have, you always have something to give.

That belief inspired Alaffia. I wanted to create opportunities for women in my homeland to earn a living, support their families, and build a better future for their communities.

Made where it grows

Why Shea?

Growing up in poverty, Olowo-n'djo watched the women of Togo make the world's finest shea butter. He founded Alaffia to share their gift with you.

Women of the Alaffia shea cooperatives in West Africa working with shea nuts: sorting, pounding, kneading and carrying them.
Women of the Alaffia shea cooperatives in West Africa working with shea nuts: sorting, pounding, kneading and carrying them.

At Alaffia's women-led cooperatives in West Africa, wild-harvested shea nuts are slow-processed by hand into rich, golden shea butter.

Why Unrefined?

Good for Your Skin

Made without bleach or chemical solvents, unrefined shea butter preserves the natural compounds that nourish skin.

Good for Women

Producing shea butter at our women-led cooperatives creates meaningful work and keeps more economic value in local communities.

Certified Fair Trade

Illustrated map showing Togo between Ghana and Burkina Faso, marked with an orange pin.

In 2008, Alaffia created the first certified Fair Trade cooperative in Togo, committed to the principles of fair pay and safe working conditions.

A woman in a grey jacket leans over a stone, kneading shea butter by hand while other women work behind her.

The ripple effect

What happens when women are given opportunity?

Meaningful work and income creates the conditions for sustained, generational change.

  1. OpportunityAccess to meaningful work and income.
  2. IndependenceGreater financial freedom and choice.
  3. StabilityMore security for themselves and their families.
  4. GrowthBuilding wealth, investing in their children's futures.
  5. Generational changeOpportunity that extends to future generations.

How We Back Women

Beyond Fair Trade, Alaffia invests back across 3 key areas of development to help women in West Africa build brighter futures.

  • A smiling woman in a yellow wax-print dress holds a bowl of shea butter, on an orange circle with a white maternal health icon.

    People

    We invest in maternal healthcare and education because wellbeing is fundamental to women's economic independence.

  • Two hands press shea paste across a stone, on a blue circle.

    Prosperity

    We invest in production infrastructure at our women-led cooperatives, empowering them to transform raw materials into products sold around the world.

  • A tall green shea tree on a yellow circle.

    Place

    We invest in creating safer environments and preserving natural resources to sustain livelihoods for generations to come.

Alaffia partners with GACE (Global Alliance for Community Empowerment) to direct a portion of our proceeds to investment projects.

See the change

Since 2003, Alaffia has invested in projects that support the health, safety, and environment of women in West Africa.

As of 12/31/2025

  • 99,964Trees planted
  • 17Schools built
  • 2,234Eyeglasses distributed
  • 37,521School supply recipients
  • 6,397Births funded
  • 10,817Bicycles for education distributed
  • 217School benches provided
  • 17Wells installed

The Fumbisia Dima Well, Northern Ghana

Built by Alaffia in partnership with the local community, this new well will provide safe access to clean water for over 3,000 families.

Map of northern Ghana with an orange pin and well icon near the border with Burkina Faso, with Togo to the east.
Two women in bright wax-print dresses lift metal basins onto their heads beside a new hand-pump water well in northern Ghana.
Illustration of a woman carrying a basket of shea nuts on her head and holding one in her hand.

Pure golden shea is at the heart of Alaffia products. And the women who make it are the heart of everything we do.