Photo by Tim Wright
To the people of Ghana, shea butter is known as “women’s gold.” Used for everything from stretch marks to diaper rash, it’s a go-to product in high demand. And it offers employment opportunities for women willing to survey shea-nut trees across the wilds of sub-Saharan Africa, picking the nuts and selling them.
The problem these shea-nut pickers faced, says
Naa-Sakle Akuete (MBA 2014), CEO and founder of Eu’Genia Shea and its Target-based sister brand, Mother’s Shea, is that they are largely women in villages without electricity and therefore lack access to knowledge of the broader value of their harvest or the ability to move their product beyond Africa to be marketed and sold. The result? They take what they could get from the traders who showed up in the village with trucks from time to time.
As we enter into the month of May, don’t let Mother’s Day sneak up on you. The holiday, falling on May 9 this year, is sure to leave many puzzled as they are every year when it comes to figuring out what to get the moms in their lives on yet another gift-giving holiday. But if you’re tired of buying the same bundle of bath products and slippers every time, think deeper. To help you get creative when it comes to Mother’s Day gifts while also, possibly, considering ways to give back, we found some wonderful Black-owned brands that help with that. Give to mom, as well as to talented artisans, the planet, and more.