One ingredient, one region, and the women who make it.
If you scanned this at our market table: thank you. We don’t print leaflets, so this page is the leaflet.
Most shea butter sold in North America comes from West Africa. Ours doesn’t. Aulara Shea is Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. nilotica, an East African subspecies that grows wild across the Nile basin of northern Uganda and South Sudan.
Nilotica carries more oleic acid than West African shea. In practice, that means a softer butter that melts on contact with skin and spreads without the waxy drag you may know from other shea. The scent is mild.
Shea in this region has long been women’s work and women’s income. Women gather the fallen fruit, crack the nuts, and press the butter.
We buy our shea directly from women’s cooperatives in northern Uganda. We’re now formalising a revenue share with the cooperatives, so that a set portion of every sale goes back to them. We’ll publish the exact figure on this page once it’s agreed, after we visit in October 2026.
Ingredients: Vitellaria paradoxa (Nilotica) Butter. That’s the whole list.
It’s cold-pressed and unrefined. Refined shea is usually bleached and deodorised, which strips out much of its colour, scent and minor components. Ours isn’t. We add nothing to it: no fragrance, no preservatives, no fillers.
Shea comes from a tree nut. If you have a nut allergy or sensitive skin, patch-test first and check with your doctor. Store it somewhere cool. Raw shea can feel slightly grainy after temperature swings. That’s natural fat crystallisation, and it melts away on your skin.
We’re at farmers’ markets across the Lower Mainland this fall, and our online shop is coming soon. Follow along for dates and launch news.
← aularashea.com