Why Sourcing Matters More Than the Label
Two bottles of shea butter sitting on a shelf can look identical and perform very differently depending on how the shea was harvested, processed and stored. One might come from a cooperative of women in Northern Ghana who hand-press using traditional methods and earn a fair wage. The other might be bleached, deodorised and shipped in bulk at minimum cost. Only one of them is doing what the label promises.
At FECHI, our supply chain starts with a question: where does this actually come from?
Baobab Oil — The Rift Valley
Kenya's Rift Valley is home to ancient baobab trees, some over 1,000 years old. We source baobab seed oil from small-scale collectors in this region who harvest fallen seeds seasonally — a practice that does not harm the trees and provides supplementary income to pastoral families.
The oil is cold-pressed within 48 hours of collection to preserve its fatty acid profile, then tested for peroxide value (a measure of freshness) before we accept a batch.
Shea Butter — West African Women's Cooperatives
No baobab tree produces shea — those come from the shea belt stretching from Senegal to Uganda. We partner with women-led cooperatives in Ghana that use traditional A-grade extraction methods: boiling, churning and pressing by hand rather than solvent extraction.
This is slower and more expensive. It is also the only way to get unrefined shea with its full complement of vitamins A, E and F intact.
Aloe Vera — Central Kenya
We source aloe vera gel from certified organic farms in the Mount Kenya region, where the volcanic soil and moderate rainfall produce plants with exceptionally high polysaccharide concentrations. The gel is cold-processed and tested for acemannan content — the active compound responsible for aloe's anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.
Essential Oils — Kenya and East Africa
Lavender from Kikuyu, rosemary from the Aberdares, geranium from Limuru. East Africa's highland elevations and rich volcanic soils produce essential oils with chemical profiles distinct from — and often superior to — those grown in Europe. We work directly with small-scale distillers, not commodity brokers, to ensure traceability from plant to bottle.
Our Commitment Going Forward
By 2027, our goal is for 80% of our key actives to be sourced within East Africa. This supports local agricultural economies, reduces our logistics carbon footprint, and lets us verify quality at source rather than trusting third-party certificates.
Every time you buy a FECHI product, part of what you're paying for is a supply chain that was built to benefit the people and land that make it possible.
"Local sourcing isn't a marketing decision. It's a quality decision." — Jefferson Kimotho, Founder
Learn more about who we are on our About page, or explore our full product range.