Knowing my incredibly smart, talented friend Nas, it was not entirely surprising when she surprised us with her new business: a premium line of shea butter products. Since she's the daughter of the president of the Global Shea Alliance (Eugenia Akuete - the company's namesake!), it's also not surprising that she is able to import some of the highest quality shea nuts available, picked by an all female co-op in Northern Ghana. Despite knowing all this - call me a skeptic - I still wasn't entirely sure that this product was for me. I ordered sparingly, just in case, but I've never been more happy to be proven wrong!
It's hard to say what won me over first, but I think it was the adorably cute tin packaging. Not far behind was the idea that my dear friend spent nights at her own kitchen table making it's contents. Most importantly though was the fact that the quality of the product was superb - far beyond any of my prior experiences with shea. It's only been a few months, but Eugenia is now indispensable for me; I favor the grapefruit shea butter for daily use. Now, with many of these adorable tins in my bathroom (and many more given to my family - they make great as gifts!), I urge all of you to try it out. If you don't believe me, perhaps you'll place more stock in coverage from New York Times' T Magazine, Fast Company, or MSNBC (which recently interviewed Nas as part of their "Born in the USA" segment).
Check her website out here: http://www.eugeniashea.org
Watch her segment on MSNBC! http://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/born-in-the-usa--eu-genia-shea-461436483651
