…[Growing] demand among Western consumers for the fruit [of the shea tree], known as “women's gold”…is helping improve lives in some of the world's poorest communities…[Shea] butter…is used to make chocolate, as well as in products like margarine and as a cooking oil…[Companies] such as L'Oreal, The Body Shop [part of L'Oréal] and L'Occitane are also using more…of the product…in their cosmetics….to please increasingly socially conscious consumers…[This is] starting to help women at the other end of the supply chain…Around 16 million people in Africa — particularly women living in rural areas — are supported by the shea industry…[From] Ethiopia to Senegal and down to the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is a lifeline…Shea provides a “substantial source of income” and an important tool for fighting poverty…[in] Ivory [Coast]…[Northern] Ghana…Burkina Faso…Two factors, however, are holding the industry back…One is the quality of the crop…Another is poor levels of organization in the industry…[Also refers to Olvea, SeKaf]