Imoro Adisa on Improved Shea Whipping Stations

Imoro Adisa is a shea butter producer working in Ghana's Upper West Region as part of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre cooperative. She is one of the women who worked directly with Baraka to design and refine improved shea whipping stations — equipment used at one of the most physically demanding stages of traditional shea butter processing.

In this video, Adisa speaks about what it meant to be involved in the design process itself. Working with Baraka to refine the stations, she describes how the improved design has made the physically demanding task of whipping shea butter easier. Her account is significant not only for what changed, but for how it changed — through a process that started with the women doing the work, rather than one imposed from outside.

Adisa 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. Baraka has invested in improving working conditions at the cooperative, including the collaborative design of shea whipping stations that reduce the physical strain of processing. 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.

Shea whipping is one of the most labour-intensive stages of hand-processing — it requires sustained physical effort to achieve the right texture and consistency. You can read more about each stage of the process in How Handmade Shea Butter is Made. Adisa's story is also part of a wider account of Baraka's approach to working conditions — read more at What Is Chain of Custody in Natural Skincare and Fair Trade Shea Butter: The Konjeihi Story.

The whipping station improvements and other working condition changes at the cooperative are documented in Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Imoro Adisa and what does she do?

Imoro Adisa is a shea butter producer and member of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. She processes shea butter using traditional hand methods as part of Baraka's direct supply chain. In this video, she speaks about her experience working with Baraka to design improved shea whipping stations — describing how the collaborative process has made one of the most physically demanding stages of shea processing easier to do.

How is Baraka improving working conditions at the cooperative?

Baraka has worked directly with producers at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre to design improved shea whipping stations. The design process was informed by the women who use the stations — including Adisa — ensuring the improvements addressed the real physical demands of the work. The result is equipment that makes whipping shea butter easier, reducing strain at one of the most labour-intensive stages of hand-processing. This approach reflects Baraka's commitment to worker-informed design rather than top-down change.

What does Adisa say about the improved whipping stations?

Adisa speaks about both the outcome and the process. In her own words, working with Baraka to refine the whipping stations has made the physically demanding task easier. She frames this as the result of a collaborative process — one where the women doing the work were involved in the design. Her account connects producer participation directly to a practical improvement in daily working life.

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, where Baraka has maintained a direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. The shea butter is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with no chemical extraction at any stage. Producers like Imoro Adisa are not contracted labourers or paid spokespeople — they are the women whose ongoing work makes each batch possible. Their names and stories are shared as part of Baraka's transparency commitment.

How does buying from Baraka support women like Adisa?

Every purchase of Baraka shea butter contributes to the fair-trade premium paid directly to the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, without intermediaries. That premium supports the cooperative's ongoing work and the working condition improvements — including collaboratively designed equipment like the improved whipping stations — that make a direct difference to the women who produce Baraka's ingredients. The cooperative structure is designed so that the connection between a purchase and a producer remains direct and traceable.

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.