We reproduce here some information from the Antika website:

For centuries West African grandmothers have taught the secrets of Shea Butter. To this day Shea butter is produced by the women of West Africa to: protect skin from the harsh climate, treat eczema, dry & tight skin, rashes, psoriasis, stretch mark & scar prevention, chapped lips, nappy rash & wrinkles.

The unique, chemincal free, organic process of extraction retains all of the shea's natural healing properties. Apply to skin in circular motions. Shea butter may melt into oil in warmer temperatures, this is normal. Natural properties and application remain the same.

Ingredient: 100% unrefined pure Ghanian shea butter. Produced using organic and fair trade practices. Store in a cool environment to return to original form. Not tested on animals. 100gm.

So what is the ANTIKA difference?

For centuries Shea butter has always been produced by the women in the rural areas of Ghana where the Shea nut trees grow.

Antika Shea butter remains true to tradition and produced by the women in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. These women oversee every part of production and perform all the tasks to produce this vital healing Butter for the skin.

Antika Shea Butter is mechanically extracted, greatly easing the physical burden of the rural women. The unique extraction technology, developed by top engineers, retains all the healing properties of the Shea butter. Aided by this mechanical process, enables them to produce the most potent Shea Butter available in the world. Antika shea butter is 100% unrefined & free of all unwanted impurities present in tradtionally produced butter. All the tradional steps of producing the Shea butter remain the same, simply the physical burden is replaced by an ergonomic, safe and sterile environment.

Premium graded Shea nuts, sterile stainless steel equipment and machines, purified water and organic processes are used in the production and packaging of our 100% unrefined Shea butter. This is guaranteed due to all production performed within a sterile and controlled environment. This reduces the need for refining, as is usually the case with Shea butter produced traditionally. Not only does this allow us to offer a butter of superior quality and purity, but also one that promises to deliver all of the innate healing properties Shea is famous for.

It only takes one application to notice the definitive difference and superior quality of ANTIKA shea butter.

All women work under Fair Trade Practices, ensuring a more dignified, fulfilling life enabling them to further enhance the lives of their children, families, communities and their environment.

Traditional method of preparation

With little or no mechanical tools to aid in the production, the butter is handcrafted by the women, using their own physical strength and manpower. The women gather the fruits that fall from the Shea tree; de-pulp the fruit to expose the seed, sun-dry the seeds, and crack open the shell that houses the nut, by physically pounding it with heavy sticks.

The nut is then ground into fine powder by using heavy traditional mortar and pestle. The powder is then mixed with water and the women have to rigorously stir and kneed the mixture into a paste. The tools these women have access to are either wooden made from gathered sticks, branches and rocks or collected pieces of metal, often rusted. Not only introducing foreign matter into the butter, but more importantly, often unsafe and very physically demanding for the women working with them.

The paste is allowed to stand for a while allowing the oil portion to separate and float to the top. This solid fat is then collected into a pot and melted by boiling. The fat is then allowed to cool and solidify and thus Shea butter is born. This traditional method of production is a physically demanding and time consuming activity.

With this traditional method, there is always a high chance of undesirable foreign materials being introduced to the Shea butter, resulting in the need for refining. Refining the Shea butter with harsh chemicals strips it bare of its desirable healing properties that natural Shea butter is hailed for.

While we all have a romantic assosiation with the term 'handcrafted' perhaps it is not quite so romantic for those whose hands are doing all the work.