The Black Volta Organic Society was founded in 2011 when the first organic certification was about to start. The society is the integration of all those that are involved in the collection of shea nuts, the production of shea butter and the organization of the transport. Approximately 250 people are part of the society (by July 2011). Almost 100% of members are female as the collection of shea nuts and the production of shea butter is performed entirely by women&＃39;s cooperatives. The aim of the Black Volta Organic Society is the compliance with the EU organic regulation (No. 834/2007) and the production of premium shea butter for the use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.The central committee of the Black Volta Organic Society is its Advisory Board. There, all the steps are organized that are needed to fulfill the EU organic regulations and any buyers requests. In addition, this is the group of people that structures the cooperation with our European partner company. The partner company provides staff to supervise and monitor the whole process. Moreover, it serves as an additional contact point for advice and consultancy to our international buyers. Shea butter, also called Beurre de Karite or Karitebutter, is used in Ghana as an edible fat and as a remedy. It has the highest percentage of unsaponifiable matter of all vegetable fats. One can deduce its famous healing properties as well as its special skin tolerability from the high percentage of unsaponifiables. It is therefore not surprising that shea butter is used as a precious commodity in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, shea butter -by having the melting point at 35-38 degrees C- gives the cosmetic product a natural consistency. By having all these advantageous characteristics it can be integrated into many product lines ... like lip balm, hand creams, sunscreens, soaps, body lotions and infant care. The long shelf life, even at relatively high temperatures, facilitates transport and storage.Shea butter is (at least in the EU) approved as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate.Our shea butter and their raw materials are from Ghana. We produce bulk shea butter with a mixture of manual labor and the use of machinery. A German institute certified us in July 2011.Thus, our wild collection of shea nuts, our shea butter, our production and transport corresponds to the requirements of the EU Organic Regulation 834/2007.We offer bulk unrefined, raw shea butter and shea nuts. In addition we also offer -gently and according to organic standards- refined (white) shea butter.Black Volta Organic Society combines traditional with scientific knowledge to produce excellent shea butter.From childhood our members are familiar with the production of shea butter. Recent scientific findings are mediated by training sessions. The supervision and coaching by the European partner company stabilizes this knowledge. We also include a large percentage of manual labour to improve the purity and consistency of the shea butter.The raw materials come from a remote region with plenty of native vegetation. The shea trees meet the criteria of a controlled organic wild collection. The successful organic certification by a German institute also confirms the consistency of our approach with the strict organic EU Directive 834/2007.Over time, regular laboratory tests in Europe have confirmed the good quality and proved the microbiological purity of the raw shea butter. The analysis results (from an independent laboratory in the EU) have never exceeded values of 1.5% FFA, POZ 14mEq/kg, moisture 0.1% and 0.01% of insoluble impurities (all values were measured for unrefined, raw shea butter).Our products are constantly being tested in a selective market environment. Here you can read feedback from end users. Current certificates (chem.-microbiolog./bio-organic) can be downloaded here.