Whereas a lot of people know countries in West Africa to be the main growers of shea trees and suppliers of shea butter the trees are also common in Uganda and South Sudan. Except the trees are not exactly the same. The trees found in East Africa are a subspecies of the common (West African) Vitellaria Paradoxa and go by the latin name Vitellaria Nilotica. The butter derived from the nuts of this subspecies is known as Nilotica shea butter – and it has a smoother and creamier texture and a slightly less nutty aroma than the more common shea butter from West Africa.
This has made Nilotica shea butter an intense moisturizing superfood for skin and hair – and it is quickly gaining ground as a skincare and cosmetics product. Caïo is on a mission to upscale the production of Nilotica shea butter and spread the butter across the globe.
This is good news for lovers of natural, organic and effective skincare products – but also for those who harvest and supply Caïo with shea butter; women in Northern Uganda.