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The shea three, Butyrospermum parkii, is originary from the dry regions in West Africa. There the shea three, more specifically its nut is an important asset in the region providing cooking oil, cosmetic and pharmaceutical uses. The shea butter is extracted from the fruits and the resulting oil is refined in several steps in order to improve flavour, colour and oxidative stability. The main use of shea butter in the Western world is in chocolate where the similarity in composition and crystallisation properties between shea butter and cocoa butter is utilised. The native shea butter can be modified by both physical and chemical methods. It can be fractionated to yield a hard fraction (shea stearine) containing high melting triglycerides and a low-melting, liquid fraction (shea olein). It can also be hydrogenated to increase the melting point and oxidative stability. The high melting shea butters find their uses as bodying agents in sticks and skin care emulsions while the olein fractions can be used as emollients in a large number of different types of products. Furthermore, emulsifiers and dispersing agents based on shea butter can be made using reactions with polar constituents like polyglycols or glycerol.
In Ghana almost the whole produce is hand made and nowadays not even 10% of the whole production of raw Shea Nut found its way into the market. The severe international economic crisis plus the lack of organisation in the Shea Nut activities in the north brought the activities in this sector to collapse early this year.
Physical and chemical properties
The native shea butter is a semi-solid, waxy material which melts at approximately 30-35°C. However, as always in the case of vegetable fats, the melting point is a poor descriptor of the behaviour and it is more useful to look at the melting profile of the product. The melting profile, also known as the solid fat content (SFC) profile, shows the proportion of solid fat remaining in the sample at different temperatures. The native shea butter as well as the hydrogenated shea butter find their uses in sticks and other solid formulations.
Our objective
Brazil-Ghana Commercial and Cultural Association (BGCCA) have the objectives to encourage developmental co-operation by promoting investment, regional and bilateral trade between the private sector of Ghana and Brazil and to support and promote cultural exchange between Ghana and Brazil focusing on dissemination of Brazilian Cultural Heritage within the Republic of Ghana. We also offer professional services to members and non-members and establish contacts with organizations, authorities, companies and individuals in Ghana and Brazil.
Our main objective in the implementation of this project is to develop a new standard in the production of Shea Nut products and sub products and guarantee the “market” of the Shea Nut production as well as supply the growing international demand on Shea Nut Butter and Shea Nut oil. In this case, only an industry based production can encounter the needs of our present market exigencies.
The main target group are the Shea Nut farmers and producers. As a matter of fact there is the need to find buyers for the production of the new companies. For this reason one target group is also the international market. To be more specific: the cosmetic and food industry around the globe.
Brazil-Ghana Commercial and Cultural Association has contacted some of the Cosmetic Industries in Brazil to introduce the Shea Butter and Shea Oil to them. Today, BGCCA can guarantee the take-off of the current production of the factories implanted throughout the BGCCA in Ghana.
The plant
To extract the Shea Butter or Shea Oil, you need special machinery (MI 300) which is capable to extract approximately between 300 to 350 kilos per hour out of the Shea Nut.
The equipment is the following:
Vertical Feed Cooker Vertical Cooker Continuous Press Clarifier Press Filter Main Tank Filtered Oil Pump Power and control pannel Cooker
Production
The percentage of the production of the Shea Butter or Oil is approximately between 35 to 37 % of the nut after processing. That means the factory with the capacity to extract 300 kilos of the raw material (Shea Nut) per hour can produce between 105 kilos of the Shea Butter or 105 litters of Shea Oil per hour.
A sixteen hours production daily can produce about 1696 kilos of the Shea Nut Butter or 1696 Litters of the Shea Nut Oil.
With the daily Production stated above, we need approximately 4800 kilos of the Shea Nut per day (16 hours of production).
In one month with only 26 days of production, we need approximately 124,800 kilos equivalent of 124, 8 Mt. of the Shea Nut to produce 43, 68 Mt of the Shea Butter or Shea Oil a month.
Requirement
Any Ghanaian or foreign investor can apply to this project throughout the BGCCA or any associated Bank.
A bank requirement may be needed.
Brazil-Ghana Commercial and Cultural Association (BGCCA) wants to implant this Business Plan in more than 20 (twenty) factories spread all over the Northern Region.
This plan was made by some experienced Brazilian Engineers members of the Brazil-Ghana Commercial and Cultural Association. The needed machines for the implementation of the industry will be bought from Brazil. The Engineers bring the expected know how to built up the factory and as soon as the financial resources will be available the implementation will start. The Association will start to take the needed steps to make this idea true.
Counting with experienced Brazilian and Ghanaian members, BGCCA possesses deep knowledge of the political, economical and social scenario in both countries. BGCCA also sees the important role your Bank may play by financing this project.
In two years, with this project, we have granted the supply of more than 28000 (twenty eight thousand) metric tons a year of the Shea nut from the farmers.
“Brazil-Ghana Commercial and Cultural Association is looking forward to encourage the relationship between these two Countries by promoting investment in many sectors especially in the agrochemical development in Ghana” Said Mr. Roger kalaun.
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Implementation of industry based Shea butter and Shea oil extraction by BGCCA
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BRAZIL - GHANA |
