The Apple doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree
As she took up more roles in her mother’s business, Naa-Sakle’s understanding of the shea business grew deeper. She even began to develop a love for the trade. In 2014, she decided to venture into the business herself and started a new business, Eu’Genia Shea. A top-tier shea butter products, packaged in beautifully embossed tins.
After starting the business, Naa-Sakle found juggling between her family, which now included her mother and her job at J.P. Morgan too much of a handful. It was then that she quit her job and embarked on entirely putting her focus on her family and new business.
Although that was not the future she had thought for herself, during her years in school and after securing a job at J.P. Morgan. Her passion for the shea industry was just too big to ignore, and she went all out with it.
Having learned the intricate art of processing and preserving shea. Naa-Sakle products through the Eu’Genia Shea business are carefully processed and packaged to preserve the natural benefits and healing properties of shea.
If not handled in the right way, the vitamins A, E, and K found in shea that gives it their healing properties get damaged. The shea quality also drops when it is overly refined, as it strips away their natural color and scent.
Naa-Sakle says to get a top-quality shea product at shelves in stores and supermarkets; it first starts with picking the best quality nuts.
“Raw shea butter is often put into cheap, plastic tubs. That packaging doesn’t convey the beauty of the women who make it or that it’s a luxury product. In order to connote the quality of my line, I developed gold tins that really express the value of what’s inside.” – Naa-Sakle explained.
Unlike in Western countries, women in Africa recognize shea as a gold beauty product. Naa-Sakle wants to serve the rest of the world with the best quality of the same product, which she plans to achieve through a meticulous production process. From picking top quality nuts, the right processing, and packaging.
That is then followed by an efficient distribution system that will deliver top-quality shea butter products to customers in America and across the world.
Related: Entrepreneurship: An opportunity for African Immigrants?
Eu’Genia Shea Products now Stocked by leading Brands
If judging by the fact that Eu’Genia Shea’s products are now being sold by big brands like The Detox Market, Anthropologie, and Credo. Then it would be safe to say that Naa-Sakle might have made the right career move when she quit her job to become her own boss doing what she loves.
Giving back to the Community
Naa-Sakle is aware of the fact that, were it not for Ghana, and the community around her mother’s native land. She might have not gotten into the shea butter business that she is now so proud of.
As a way to show her gratitude, 15% of Eu’Genia Shea profits go towards projects to empower women’s education in the northern parts of Ghana. Most of the beneficiaries of that fund are the 7,500 women working as nut pickers.
Naa-Sakle is currently working on a new line of shea butter products that she will soon launch in the market. She says the new line of product will launch across 700 stores in the US, by July this year.
.@karenhunter our new brand Mother’s Shea launched in over 900 Targets this week! Find yours here—https://t.co/RjMXvlOkez pic.twitter.com/fN7URCN6PH
— Eu’Genia Shea (@EuGenia_Shea) January 3, 2020
