2025 Social & Environmental Impact Report

Introduction: Every Purchase Makes an Impact

At Baraka, we believe that business can and should be a force for good—that profit and purpose reinforce each other when impact is built into how a company operates, not bolted on as an afterthought.

This report documents what we have built together with our customers and partners over 2024 and 2025—with honesty about what worked, what we improved, and what we are still learning.

Everything in this report exists because of you. Your belief in our model—that business can create social value and support environmental stewardship while generating profits—makes this impact possible. Every purchase you make directly supports the livelihoods of women in rural Ghana—primarily through earned income from work and production—enabling them to provide for their families, educate their children, and strengthen their communities.  Tips at checkout and Dignity of Income contributions further amplify this impact, funding equipment, training, and infrastructure that expand what purchases alone can achieve.

When you choose Baraka, you are not just buying a product. You are participating in a system where value is created at the source—through improved working conditions, fair income opportunities, and environmental stewardship—and then carried forward to you through high-quality ingredients and products. That value continues downstream to your own customers, who benefit from quality, authenticity, and transparent sourcing they can trust.

In 2025, customers contributed an additional USD $17,500 through tips and the Dignity of Income Fund. Combined with support from key partners who helped co-finance critical infrastructure, these contributions enabled investments that multiplied the impact of everyday purchases.

We are proud of what we have accomplished together. Thank you for making it possible.

Our Approach to Sustainable Income Generation

Earning enough income to support their children and families is a persistent challenge for women throughout much of Ghana, particularly in remote rural communities where Baraka operates. Women are often key household breadwinners and must continually adapt their income strategies to seasonal cycles, available opportunities, and family responsibilities.

Traditional activities—such as farming, petty trading, and household labor—remain essential and deeply rooted in cultural practice. Our approach does not seek to replace or disrupt these traditions, but to complement them in ways that fit within existing rhythms. We create income-generating opportunities that would otherwise not be available, structured so women can pursue them during periods when traditional demands are lighter. This enables more continuous income across the year while respecting the priorities and patterns that have long sustained these communities.

This philosophy guides how we design our programs, training, and infrastructure investments. As much as possible, we aim to integrate new opportunities with traditional livelihoods rather than compete with them. We are not always perfect at this, but it consistently shapes how we make decisions and measure success.

The sections that follow document how this philosophy operates in real life: the environmental systems that reduce impact, the social infrastructure and training that expand women's income opportunities, and the governance approach that keeps impact embedded in how Baraka runs.

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ESG Details

Environmental

Eco-Ergonomic Shea Roaster Project

Six eco-ergonomic roasters are now deployed at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, developed in partnership with Burn Design Lab and evanhealy, with additional support from NO.

Environmental impact: Enclosed fire-brick chambers provide superior energy efficiency, dramatically reducing firewood consumption compared to traditional open-fire roasting. When paired with waste-to-energy fuel blocks produced on site, these roasters can reduce carbon emissions and deforestation impact by up to 90% during the dry season, when waste fuel can be produced at full volume. Every unit of waste fuel used directly displaces tree-cut firewood. (Seasonal constraints on fuel block production, discussed below, mean this optimal performance is not yet year-round.)

Health, safety, and ergonomic impact: The difference from traditional methods is dramatic. Women roasting over a three-rock fire must stand, constantly stir, and endure direct smoke and heat exposure. The eco-ergonomic design allows women to sit comfortably while built-in chimneys channel smoke away, protecting respiratory health. Integrated thermometers ensure consistent roasting temperatures, improving quality and safety.

Women tell us the roasters are "family-friendly"—safer for children to be nearby, and mothers can roast with babies on their backs. In communities where childcare and productive work must happen together, this matters.

Eco-Ergonomic Boiling Stoves

Twelve eco-ergonomic boiling stoves are now operational at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, installed with support from NOÈ. The stoves were designed and built locally using local labor, informed by lessons learned from Burn Design Lab's roaster work, an approach that builds local capacity rather than dependency.

Environmental impact: The enclosed design prevents heat loss from open fires, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to traditional methods. Impact is further reduced when processing waste is used as fuel, contributing directly to deforestation mitigation.

Health and safety impact: Enclosed fire chambers and smoke channeling protect women from heat exposure, burns, and respiratory harm. Contained fires create a safer environment overall particularly when children are present. Consistent temperature control also improves product quality.

Together with the eco-ergonomic roasters and the waste-to-energy system that supplies much of their fuel, these stoves form the backbone of a safer, lower-impact processing environment at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre.

Waste-to-Energy Circular Economy Initiative

Our waste-to-energy system converts shea processing byproducts into fuel blocks, currently providing nearly 100% of fuel needs during the dry season.

Rainy season presents challenges. Fuel blocks cannot be left out to dry as they can during dry months, reducing output when production continues. This is an infrastructure constraint—seasonal climate variability affects all circular systems of this kind—and we are seeking financing for covered drying facilities that will enable year-round optimization.

The system prevents deforestation, reduces carbon emissions, and demonstrates that processing waste can become a valuable input rather than a disposal problem. When operating at full capacity, these benefits multiply significantly.

Mango Nut Collection Pilot Program

In 2025, we launched a pilot program to develop mango butter as a new income stream with environmental co-benefits.

Environmental impact: Mango pits are everywhere during season—discarded throughout communities after the fruit is eaten. Their extreme hardness means nothing breaks them down naturally; they persist as waste. Collection performs an essential community cleanup while converting this waste into a potential resource.

Program progress: Two hundred women from Konjeihi, Kperisi, and surrounding communities participated in the pilot. Together they collected, dried, and manually cracked 10,000 kg of mango pits. We successfully tested hand-processing techniques and experimented with time and temperature settings on our eco-ergonomic roasters to roast the extracted nuts effectively.

We are now in preliminary discussions with local fabrication shops about mechanical solutions for pit cracking and nut extraction—the most labor-intensive steps in the process.

What's next: We plan to test processing to finished mango butter in Q2 2026. If market testing succeeds, we aim to begin commercial production during the 2026 mango season.

Long-term scalability will depend on processing efficiency and market validation. This is genuinely a pilot—we are learning as we go. Mango season also aligns well with our integrated income philosophy—collection happens when shea processing demands are lighter, giving women a complementary income opportunity rather than a competing one.

Environmental Outcomes & Context

The environmental crisis is real, and its impact is unfolding around us with devastating consequences. We are a small company. We cannot reverse global deforestation or stop climate change. But we can try to address environmental harm in a way that is impactful, integrated, and sustainable.

What makes our environmental commitment sustainable is integration. The systems described above protect forests, reduce emissions, and lower climate impact—while simultaneously improving safety, efficiency, and working conditions for women. And because customers and partners value authentic environmental practices, these investments strengthen the business that makes continued investment possible. Environmental value. Social value. Business value. Integrated, not traded off.

Combating Deforestation

Deforestation awareness remains part of our ongoing community engagement. In 2024-2025, we reached approximately 500 women through 15 training sessions, typically integrated into other community gatherings and program activities rather than delivered as standalone events.

This is maintenance of a long-term commitment, not a new initiative—but it remains important context for everything else we do.

Riverine Ecosystem, Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat

Our shea nut collection areas along the Black Volta River continue to support ecosystem health, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat through organic collection practices.

This was not a major focus area in 2024-2025, but the ongoing environmental benefits of how and where we source remain part of our broader footprint.

The environmental crisis is real, and its impact is unfolding around us with devastating consequences. We are a small company. We cannot reverse global deforestation or stop climate change. But we can try to address environmental harm in a way that is impactful, integrated, and sustainable.

What makes our environmental commitment sustainable is integration. The systems described above protect forests, reduce emissions, and lower climate impact—while simultaneously improving safety, efficiency, and working conditions for women. And because customers and partners value authentic environmental practices, these investments strengthen the business that makes continued investment possible. Environmental value. Social value. Business value. Integrated, not traded off.

The next section shows how social infrastructure and training build on this foundation.

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Social

Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre Transformation

Over the past 18 months, Baraka has invested more than USD $100,000 in transforming the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. This investment was co-financed by our customers—primarily through purchases, and further supported by tips and Dignity of Income contributions—and by our partner NOÈ, which provided substantial support for equipment and infrastructure. This is integration, not charity.

The transformation reflects our core philosophy: investments that benefit women producers should also strengthen Baraka's operations. The Centre now enables higher-quality production, greater efficiency, and increased capacity—outcomes that generate more income for women while improving what we can offer customers.

Processing Equipment & Production Capacity

Equipment upgrades and installations:

• Upgraded grinder mill and crusher for more efficient processing and greater capacity 
• 12 eco-ergonomic boiling stoves
• 6 eco-ergonomic roasters (3 newly acquired, all 6 now permanently installed in the covered work area) with up to 90% carbon reduction
• 12 ergonomic whipping stations 
• Processing tables for quality control and packaging

Production infrastructure:

• Cement drying stations enabling year-round shea production—and supporting drying of traditional farm outputs when not in use for shea
• New warehouse building for storage and packaging
• Packaging room with upgraded roofing and concrete flooring
• Improved lighting and electrical systems

Improved processing capacity translates directly to more income for women. More efficient equipment means more product processed per day; better infrastructure means fewer weather disruptions and higher quality output.

Expanded operations will require additional infrastructure. A priority is constructing a new building at the Centre to increase packaging capacity, improve quality control, and provide more warehouse and storage space. This next phase would enable us to serve more women producers while keeping more operational value in Ghana.

Work Environment & Traditional Income Support

The Centre is designed to support how women actually work—not just Baraka activities, but the full range of income-generating and household responsibilities they manage.

Infrastructure supporting women's work:

• 30 x 90 foot covered work area providing shade and weather protection
• Cement drying areas usable for shea processing and traditional farming outputs
• Comfortable working conditions year-round regardless of sun or rain
• Enhanced water system used by over 150 families with reliable clean water access

These facilities support traditional farming and petty trading activities alongside Baraka production—giving women flexible, weather-protected space for multiple income streams rather than dedicating infrastructure to a single use.

Community & Cultural Facilities

The Centre serves not just as a production facility but as a social hub where women can work, gather, and support each other.

Community infrastructure:

• Prayer space for Muslim community members
• Sanitation facilities
• Water system used by the broader community (150+ families daily)
• Gathering spaces for community meetings and social connection

Training Programs Delivered at Konjeihi

The Centre hosted multiple training programs in 2024-2025:

• Black soap making (detailed below)
• Shea butter quality improvement
• Kombo butter production
• Mango collection and processing

• Deforestation awareness education

These programs are covered in more detail in the sections that follow.

Black Soap Making Training Program

In 2024-2025, we trained 15 women producers in black soap production over six training days delivered in two sessions at the Konjeihi Centre.

Black soap making exemplifies our integrated approach. The skill creates flexible earning opportunities that women can pursue when other demands are lighter—potentially generating thousands of additional income days annually across the community as trained women share knowledge and production expands.

Materials for black soap are available throughout Ghana, and production fits around farming, family responsibilities, and shea processing rather than competing with them. The final market for black soap will largely be Baraka, integrating this new income stream directly into our existing system and ensuring reliable demand for what women produce.

Improved Shea Whipping Stations

Traditional shea whipping required women producers to bend over basins placed on the ground—physically demanding work that created significant back strain over long hours. But the solution was not as simple as raising the work surface. Stations set too high prevent women from applying sufficient downward force, reducing yield.

Through extensive experimentation with the women themselves, we identified the optimal station height that reduces back strain while maintaining their ability to apply proper force and preserve yield.

Twelve ergonomic whipping stations are now in use at the Konjeihi Centre. Whipping is less physically punishing, workflow is better organized, and quality control has improved—without sacrificing productivity.

Income Generation Training

Beyond black soap training, we delivered over 500 training days to more than 200 women in 2024-2025 across multiple programs—shea quality, kombo butter production, mango processing, and deforestation awareness.

Our training approach prioritizes integration: ensuring women can maximize income from both traditional and new activities, building more resilient household economies rather than dependent relationships.

Income Generation Impact by Ingredient

Shea butter: Over 1,100 women participate directly in our shea butter supply chain—855 registered and trained, plus an estimated 250 additional women engaged through collection and processing. This is our deepest relationship, with direct investment in equipment, training, and infrastructure.

Other products: Cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, red palm oil, and baobab oil are sourced through supply chain partners—community-based organizations with similar values but separate operations. An estimated 2,000+ women are reached through these partnerships. Our visibility into these supply chains is limited, and volume is lower than shea—meaning the per-woman impact is smaller. But the income opportunities are real, and the relationships are long-standing.

Total: More than 3,000 women benefit from income opportunities connected to Baraka's operations—primarily through earned income from collection, processing, and production.

Konjeihi Community Water Supply

The Konjeihi water system is operational and recently upgraded for improved reliability. It is used by over 150 families daily with clean, accessible water.

The impact extends beyond convenience. Hours previously spent on water collection are now available for income-generating activities, family care, and rest. Clean water also supports health and hygiene across the community.

Tapko Women's Enterprise Centre

The Tapko Women's Enterprise Centre remains in active use, managed directly by the local women's group for their ongoing income-generating activities.

This community-managed model demonstrates what we aim for: sustainable local ownership where Baraka's role shifts from builder to supporter.

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Everything described above exists because Baraka, its customers, and its partners invested in it together. Baraka reinvests its own resources. Customer purchases fund operations; tips and contributions amplify impact. Partners co-finance what neither could do alone. The question is how this sustains itself. The answer is integration—and the next section explains how that works.

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Governance

Integrated Impact as Business Strategy

Baraka's founder also leads the CSR ESG Training Institute, which provides sustainability advisory and executive education services globally. This shared leadership is intentional. It reflects a conviction—developed through decades of work at the intersection of business strategy and social impact, including graduate work at Stanford Business School and a role as Professor of Practice at McGill—that social and environmental value creation should be integral to business strategy, not separate from it. We disclose this relationship openly because transparency is part of our governance.

Baraka is proving this principle in practice. Our impact is not a marketing overlay or philanthropic afterthought; it is embedded directly in how we operate. By investing in verifiable social and environmental practices within our upstream supply chain, we generate authentic stories and evidence that our customers value—and that our wholesale partners can credibly use in their own marketing and sustainability communications. This alignment is what makes increasing impact sustainable: it creates competitive advantage rather than draining resources.

Over the past 18 months, Baraka has invested more than USD $100,000 in infrastructure, equipment, and training designed specifically to improve working conditions, environmental performance, and income-generating capacity for women producers—anchored by the transformation of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. These investments were supported by our customers through purchases, tips, and Dignity of Income contributions, and by our partner NOE, which co-financed key equipment and infrastructure. This same period also marked our strongest revenue year, reinforcing a central insight: when impact investments are operationally integrated rather than treated as charity, purpose and profit reinforce each other.

All impact figures in this report are conservative estimates based on direct participation records, production data, and long-standing supply-chain relationships. Where we reference partner supply-chain impacts, numbers are rounded estimates. Data systems vary, and we prefer honest approximation to false precision.

The Model: How Upstream Impact Creates Downstream Value

Upstream investment in people and production → Verifiable social & environmental practices → Authentic stories and evidence → Customer trust & wholesale partner value → Stronger sales and reinvestment capacity → More resources for upstream impact

Featured in "Purposeful Beauty" Industry Report

In 2025, Baraka was featured as a case study in "Purposeful Beauty: The Growing Importance of Social Impact and Environmental Sustainability in Natural and Organic Skincare and Cosmetics," published by the CSR ESG Training Institute. 

The case study examined how Baraka integrates social and environmental practices into core operations—optimizing and aligning social, environmental, and business impact rather than treating them as separate initiatives. 

Given that Baraka's founder also leads the Institute, this is not independent third-party validation—but it does apply the same analytical frameworks used in the Institute's executive education and advisory work. 

Packaging Operations

Over 80% of our products are now fully packaged to consumer-ready state in Ghana. The remaining 20%—primarily oils requiring packaging equipment we do not yet have on site—are partially packaged in Ghana and finished in Canada.

Packaging in Ghana can reduce unnecessary shipping and handling while keeping more value in the communities where production happens.

Looking ahead:

A key priority is constructing an additional building at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre to support expanded packaging and production capacity, improved quality control across all ingredients, and increased warehouse and storage for growing operations. This expansion would shift more income and operational activity to Ghana while enabling us to serve more women producers.

We are actively seeking partners to help make this next phase possible.

SDG Impact Summary

We reference the UN Sustainable Development Goals because they provide a common language for describing impact—not because we designed our work around the framework.

For a company of our size, claiming broad SDG alignment would stretch credibility. Instead, we have identified six SDGs where our operations create significant, demonstrable impact, and five additional SDGs where our work contributes meaningfully but as a secondary outcome rather than a primary focus.

We report SDGs in tiers to keep claims proportional to evidence.

A detailed breakdown is available in the appendix.

Customer Support: Dignity of Income Fund, Tips and Donations

In 2025, customers contributed approximately USD $17,500 over and above their purchases. Tips and Dignity of Income contributions are voluntary amplifiers—they fund investments that make each purchase go further.

Importantly, all customer contributions are optional and choice-based. When customers were offered a choice between receiving a personal benefit or having Baraka make a USD $100 contribution to the Dignity of Income Fund in their name, 34% of customers (104 of 307 respondents) chose to direct that value toward supporting women producers instead of receiving a personal benefit themselves. This represents a deliberate, values-based choice rather than incentive-driven participation.

These contributions funded equipment, training, and infrastructure improvements that extend and multiply the impact of regular purchases. Most of this support went directly toward the transformation of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre and associated training programs. As we continue refining how we track customer support, we are also identifying additional direct contributions made outside of checkout flows—further reinforcing the depth of engagement behind these figures.

Customers for whom Baraka makes a USD $100 contribution to the Dignity of Income Fund receive a personalized certificate recognizing that support, which many choose to frame or share.

Thank you for your extraordinary generosity and belief in this model.

Strategic Partnerships & Support

Two partnerships have been particularly important to our 2024-2025 impact:

NOE (France)

NOE co-financed the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre transformation, supporting equipment acquisition and infrastructure construction. They also supported general marketing activities that helped grow sales—which directly increases income for women producers. Their partnership enabled investments that would have taken years longer to fund through operations alone.

noe.org/en/lassociation/

German Import Development Program (IDP)

The German Import Development Program supported our wholesale market development, including attendance at In-Cosmetics Amsterdam (one of the world's largest cosmetic ingredients exhibitions), training on European market access, and bulk marketing initiatives. Expanded wholesale relationships drive impact by increasing sales—which means more work and income for women producers.

These partnerships reflect that organizations with rigorous standards saw sufficient operational credibility to invest time and resources alongside us.

Transparency requires more than narrative. The numbers that follow document scale and impact—clearly distinguishing confirmed figures from conservative estimates, because we believe honest approximation matters more than impressive-sounding claims.

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Key Impact Numbers

Confirmed Figures

From direct records, surveys, and verified counts

Customer Validation

• 4.93/5 customer satisfaction across 17,000+ verified reviews
• 85% of customers cite social, environmental, or supply-chain authenticity as a primary purchase driver (ongoing survey, n=307; reported conservatively)

Customer Alignment (Choice-Based Participation)

• 34% of customers (104 of 307), when offered a choice between a personal benefit or a USD $100 Dignity of Income Fund contribution in their name, chose to support women producers

Customer Contributions (Over and Above Purchases)

• ~USD $10,000 in tips at checkout
• ~USD $7,500 in Dignity of Income Fund contributions
• ~USD $17,500 total additional customer support

Infrastructure & Investment

• USD $100,000+ invested in the Konjeihi 
• Women's Enterprise Centre transformation
• 30 × 90 ft covered work area constructed15 communities where we work directly with women producers and collectors

Equipment Installed

• 6 eco-ergonomic roasters (up to 90% carbon reduction when paired with waste-to-energy fuel)
• 12 eco-ergonomic boiling stoves (50%+ energy reduction)
• 12 ergonomic whipping stations
  

  

Training & Programs

• 15 women trained in black soap production
• 10,000 kg of mango pits collected during the 2025 pilot program

Packaging & Operations

• 80%+ of products fully packaged to consumer-ready state in Ghana

Estimates

Based on participation records, production data, and long-standing supply-chain relationships; rounded conservatively. Estimated figures reflect partner-reported participation ranges and long-standing relationship knowledge; exact counts are not always available.

Women & Communities

• Over 1,100 women in direct shea butter supply chain (855 registered and trained; ~250 additional estimated)
• 2,000+ women reached through supply chain partners (estimated; limited visibility)
• 3,000+ total women benefiting from income opportunities connected to Baraka operations
• 100+ communities indirectly impacted through supply-chain partners
• 150+ families served by the upgraded Konjeihi water system

Training & Capacity Building

• 500+ training days delivered in 2024–2025
• 200+ women trained across multiple programs

  

Detailed data sources and methodology available on request.

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Conclusion

This impact exists because of partnership and the deliberate alignment of social value, environmental stewardship, and business value. Baraka was founded on the belief that this model is not only possible, but preferable to short-sighted, zero-sum approaches that treat these dimensions as competing priorities rather than mutually reinforcing ones.

That founding vision shaped the infrastructure and operating model that make this work possible—and it is sustained through alignment in practice. Customer purchases make the system viable, directly supporting women producers and their families. Alongside this, Baraka reinvests its own resources, partners co-finance critical equipment and facilities, and customers choose to make direct contributions to support the women and families who make Baraka’s ingredients.

Together, these elements form a system in which impact is not traded off against financial performance, but strengthened by it—allowing social, environmental, and business value to advance together.

This report reflects what that collective effort has produced over the past 18 months. We see it not as an endpoint, but as evidence of what becomes possible when the business model facilitates alignment, customers, producers, partners, and the business itself working toward shared goals.

We are still learning—about seasonality, about scaling new initiatives, and about how to grow without losing what makes this work effective. What we are committed to is transparency, integrity, and continued improvement.

Thank you for your trust, your purchases, your contributions, and your partnership.

— The Baraka Team

Including the women producers and community in northern Ghana who make this work.

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Appendix: SDG Impact Alignment

SDG Impact Summary

We reference the UN Sustainable Development Goals because they provide a common language for describing impact—not because we designed our work around the framework.

For a company of our size, claiming broad SDG alignment would stretch credibility. Instead, we have identified six SDGs where our operations create significant, demonstrable impact, and five additional SDGs where our work contributes meaningfully but as a secondary outcome rather than a primary focus.

We report SDGs in tiers to keep claims proportional to evidence.

How Baraka's Operations Align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The SDG framework was designed for nations and large institutions. For a company our size, claiming alignment with nearly all 17 goals would overstate our reach.

We have identified six SDGs where our operations create significant, demonstrable impact—where the connection to our core business is direct and the outcomes are observable. We have identified five additional SDGs where our work contributes meaningfully, but as secondary outcomes rather than primary drivers. The remaining SDGs either have tenuous connection to our operations or reflect outcomes we cannot credibly claim to influence at scale.

This is honest accounting, not modesty for its own sake. The strength of our impact is in its depth and integration, not its breadth.

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Significant Impact: Six SDGs

These are the goals where our operations have direct, demonstrable, and material impact.

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

This is core to what we do.

• Direct income to over 1,000 women in northern Ghana through shea butter collection and processing
• Supply chain partnerships reaching an estimated 2,000+ additional women throughout Ghana
• Over 500 training days delivered in 2024-2025, focused on income generation
• Over USD $100,000 invested in the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, creating infrastructure that supports year-round income generation

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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Our supply chain is built around women's economic participation.

• Over 95% of income generated in our supply chain goes directly to women
• Women's Enterprise Centres provide women-controlled infrastructure for economic activity
• Training programs prioritize women's skill development and income capacity
• Flexible work structures respect women's multiple roles and responsibilities

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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Income generation with improved working conditions is the operational foundation.

• Direct income to over 1,000 women; supply chain impact to an estimated 2,000+ more
• Over 500 training days delivered in 2024-2025USD $100,000+ invested in Women's Enterprise Centre infrastructure
• Equipment investments improve working conditions while increasing productivity
• Work structures designed to complement traditional livelihoods, not replace them

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Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Traceability, circularity, and local value retention are built into our operations.

• Transparent supply-chain documentation enables customers and wholesale partners to verify sourcing claims
• Waste-to-energy circular system converts shea processing byproducts into fuel blocks, reducing waste and displacing firewood
• 80%+ of products packaged to consumer-ready state in Ghana, reducing handling and keeping more value local
• Direct trade relationships with women's cooperatives reduce intermediary extraction

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Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Environmental performance is integrated into our equipment and systems.

• Eco-ergonomic roasters achieve up to 90% reduction in carbon emissions when paired with waste-to-energy fuel. Every unit of waste fuel used directly displaces tree-cut firewood.
• Waste-to-energy system displaces firewood cutting, directly combating deforestation
• Deforestation awareness training delivered to approximately 500 women through 15 sessions
• Equipment investments reduce the carbon intensity of shea butter production

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Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems

Deforestation prevention is a direct outcome of our operations.

• Waste-to-energy system displaces trees cut for firewood, directly combating deforestation
• Deforestation awareness education delivered to supply chain communities
• Organic shea nut collection supports ecosystem health and biodiversity
• Kombo butter development provides economic incentive to protect Kombo trees rather than cut them

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Contributing Impact: Five SDGs

These are goals where our operations contribute meaningfully, but as secondary outcomes rather than primary drivers. The impact is real, but we do not claim it as core to our mission.

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Improved working conditions and community infrastructure support health outcomes.

• Eco-ergonomic equipment reduces physical strain and respiratory exposure
• Smoke-channeling roasters and stoves protect women from harmful emissions
• Ergonomic whipping stations reduce back strain from traditional methods
• Clean water system at Konjeihi serves 150+ families, supporting community health
• Increased income directly supports healthcare access for women and their families

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Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

One community water system—meaningful locally, but limited in scale.

• Community water system installed and upgraded at Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre
• Over 150 families served daily with clean, accessible water
• Sanitation facilities included in Centre infrastructure
• Water access saves women hours daily previously spent on collection

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Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Our equipment and systems improve energy efficiency, though energy access is not our primary focus.

• Waste-to-energy system converts shea processing byproducts into fuel blocks, providing a renewable fuel source
• Eco-ergonomic roasters and stoves designed for superior energy efficiency
• Boiling stoves achieve 50%+ energy reduction compared to traditional open-fire methods
• System reduces dependence on firewood and associated collection labor

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Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

We have built meaningful infrastructure, though we are not an infrastructure company.

• Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre: 30 × 90 ft covered work area, warehouse, packaging facilities
• 6 eco-ergonomic roasters, 12 boiling stoves, 12 whipping stations installed
• Waste-to-energy circular economy system developed and operational
• Local fabrication partnerships for equipment maintenance and development80%+ of products packaged in Ghana, with expansion planned

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Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Partnerships have been essential to our progress.

• Partnership with NOÈ (France) co-financed Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre transformation
• Partnership with German Import Development Program supports market access and growth
• Collaboration with Burn Design Lab and evanhealy developed eco-ergonomic roaster technology
• Wholesale partner relationships extend impact through downstream supply chains
• Customer contributions through tips and Dignity of Income Fund demonstrate shared commitment

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Other SDGs

The remaining SDGs—including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Quality Education (SDG 4), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16)—have some connection to our work, but we do not claim significant or direct alignment.

In some cases, such as education, our impact is real but indirect: women use increased income to pay school fees, but we do not run education programs. In other cases, such as Life Below Water, the connection is too tenuous to claim credibly.

We prefer to be honest about the limits of our reach rather than stretch our claims to fit a framework designed for much larger actors.

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SDG Impact at a Glance

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many women does Baraka support in Ghana?

A: Over 3,000 women benefit from income opportunities connected to Baraka's operations. This includes over 1,100 women in our direct shea butter supply chain (855 registered and trained, plus approximately 250 additional through collection and processing) and an estimated 2,000+ women reached through supply chain partners sourcing other ingredients.

Q: How does Baraka reduce its environmental impact?

A: Baraka uses eco-ergonomic roasters that reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% when paired with waste-to-energy fuel blocks made from shea processing byproducts. This circular system displaces firewood cutting and directly combats deforestation. Eco-ergonomic boiling stoves reduce energy consumption by over 50%.

Q: What is the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre?

A: The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre is Baraka's primary production facility in northern Ghana, where over $100,000 has been invested in infrastructure including a 30×90 foot covered work area, eco-ergonomic processing equipment, packaging facilities, and a community water system serving 150+ families.

Q: Is Baraka shea butter fair trade?

A: Baraka operates on a direct trade model, sourcing directly from women's cooperatives in Ghana without intermediaries. Women earn income through collection, processing, and production work. Baraka invests in infrastructure, equipment, and training that improve working conditions and expand income opportunities.

Q: How does Baraka verify its social impact claims?

A: All figures in Baraka's impact reports are drawn from direct records, surveys, and participation data. Conservative estimates are used where exact counts are unavailable. Baraka maintains a library of first-person producer interviews documenting reported impacts, and distinguishes confirmed figures from estimates in all reporting.

Q: What percentage of Baraka products are packaged in Ghana?

A: Over 80% of Baraka products are fully packaged to consumer-ready state in Ghana. The remaining products (primarily oils requiring specialized equipment) are partially packaged in Ghana and finished in Canada.

Q: How can customers support Baraka's impact beyond purchases?

A: Customers can contribute through tips at checkout and the Dignity of Income Fund. In 2025, customers contributed approximately $17,500 through these channels, funding equipment, training, and infrastructure that multiply the impact of regular purchases.

Q: What SDGs does Baraka align with?

A: Baraka creates significant impact on six SDGs:

No Poverty (SDG 1), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work (SDG 8), Responsible Consumption (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15). Baraka contributes to five additional SDGs as secondary outcomes.

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Methodology Note

This alignment assessment is based on our operational activities and their observed or reasonably expected outcomes. We do not claim causation or measured impact against SDG indicators. The framework is used as a common reference for describing the types of impact our operations create.

In addition to records and surveys, Baraka maintains a library of first-person producer interviews documenting reported impacts on work conditions, income use, and family outcomes: You can watch them here.

We have deliberately limited our claims to areas where our impact is demonstrable and material. This reflects our broader commitment to honest reporting over impressive-sounding claims.