YOUR IMPACT: Joe Bereema

Joe Bereema is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Oli community in Ghana's Upper West Region. A mother of six, she works closely with other women in the Oli certified organic group — one of the producer groups connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work collecting and processing shea nuts is central to her family's livelihood and to the wider cooperative.

In this video, Joe speaks about four specific outcomes that have become possible through the Baraka relationship. When she brings her shea nuts to the community for Baraka to purchase, the income is enough to fund her farm cultivation, pay her children's school fees, renew her children's health insurance, and provide loans to others. That last point — the ability to extend credit to others from her shea butter income — is a mark of how far a reliable fair-trade income can reach beyond the individual producer.

Joe Bereema is one of the women whose work makes Baraka shea butter possible. Baraka sources shea butter directly through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region — a cooperative relationship maintained for over 15 years. Every batch is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction, and complete chain-of-custody documentation is available for any order. The women who produce this ingredient receive a fair-trade premium directly, without intermediaries.

For formulators and buyers evaluating shea butter sources, the regional origin of shea butter affects its character. You can read more about the differences between Ghanaian and Burkinabe shea butter, including how sourcing region, processing method, and cooperative structure affect quality and traceability. Baraka's shea butter is sourced from Ghana's Upper West Region through a single, documented cooperative with over 15 years of continuous relationship.

Over 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women. Every purchase supports their ability to work with dignity, earn a fair income, and build futures for their families. To understand the full scope of this work, you can read Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, which details the cooperative's progress and the lives behind every batch.

You can also learn more through these related resources: the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, the fair trade story behind Baraka's ingredients, and how handmade shea butter is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Joe Bereema and what does she do?

Joe Bereema is a shea nut collector and shea butter producer from the Oli community in Ghana's Upper West Region. She is a mother of six and works closely with other women in the Oli certified organic group, connected to Baraka through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre. Her work spans both the collection of wild shea nuts and their hand-processing into shea butter using traditional methods.

What does Joe say about working with Baraka?

Joe speaks about four specific outcomes from the Baraka income: funding her farm cultivation, paying her children's school fees, renewing her children's health insurance, and being able to offer loans to others. That final point — extending credit from shea butter income — is significant. It shows that a fair-trade income at this level does not just sustain a household; it can generate financial capacity that reaches into the wider community.

Who makes Baraka shea butter?

Baraka shea butter is made by women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. Women like Joe Bereema hand-process shea nuts using traditional water-based methods passed down through generations — cracking, grinding, boiling, and skimming by hand, with zero chemical extraction. Baraka has maintained this direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. More than 90% of the people working with Baraka in Ghana are women.

What is the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre?

The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre is a women's cooperative in Ghana's Upper West Region through which Baraka sources its shea butter and other ingredients. It operates as a direct, fair-trade cooperative — producers receive a fair-trade premium without intermediaries. Baraka has worked directly with the centre for over 15 years. The cooperative connects multiple certified organic producer groups across the region, including the Oli group that Joe Bereema works with.

How can B2B buyers verify the sourcing behind Baraka shea butter?

Baraka provides complete chain-of-custody documentation for any order — every step from shea nut harvest through processing, packing, and shipping is documented and traceable. Baraka sources exclusively from Ghana's Upper West Region through a single cooperative with over 15 years of continuous relationship and documentation. Videos like Joe's, in which producers speak on the record about their experience with Baraka, are part of that transparency. Contact Baraka directly for supply chain documentation.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.