Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC), the specialty oils and fats business of Bunge Limited has officially announced the opening of its state-of-the-art shea butter processing facility in Tema, Ghana with the launch of the Where Life Grows campaign that celebrates the company’s efforts to build a resilient and sustainable shea supply chain in Africa.

The cutting edge processing plant marks the company’s latest investment to meet the growing demand for shea globally.The plant forms part of efforts to protect and advance the shea supply chain in West Africa.

“Our latest investment in Ghana plays a critical role in strengthening BLC’s global infrastructure for processing and supplying high-quality shea products to our customers around the world, while also bolstering the entire ecosystem of regional crushers and local shea collectors in the West African region,” said Aaron Buettner, the President of BLC.

“The facility allows us to meaningfully support and empower the local shea communities through the transfer of knowledge of value adding processes and by investing in local skills development. We are proud to join forces with local communities to help build and advance the African shea industry together.”

Operational since 2019, the facility is BLC’s first shea processing plant in Africa and the largest of its kind on the continent. “The facility is a fully automated solvent fractionation plant that processes raw shea butter made from locally collected and crushed shea nuts, ” said Antoine Turpin, General Manager West Africa at BLC. “Currently, the facility provides employment to 73 people from mostly the local community. Its strategic location not only allows for a more efficient production process, it also delivers on BLC’s commitment to building a more sustainable supply chain for shea.”