AAK Annual Report 2018

25 25 For millions of people in West Africa, shea is an essen- tial crop – both as a nutrition source and as a source of income. But it’s also a vital and unique raw material for AAK as we, in close collaboration with our customers, develop tailor-made solutions for the chocolate and confectionery and cosmetics industries. Shea – a sustainable crop The shea tree is a wild tree growing in the shea belt, across Africa south of the Sahara. Countries with the highest population of shea trees, which are indigenous to Africa, include Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Togo. Shea is a very sustainable crop. The trees on which shea kernels grow require no use of fertilizers or pesticides. Traditionally, it is women who collect and process shea kernels. Part of the shea crop is sold, providing an important source of income. The women not only spend money earned to alleviate poverty and hunger, they also invest in their children’s education and other income-generating activities. Market leader in the shea industry AAK has more than 60 years of experience sourcing shea kernels from West Africa. Working in close cooperation with shea traders and women’s groups, we have built a solid and durable sourcing set-up across the shea production areas. In 2018, AAK’s supply chain in Benin and its production site in Aarhus, Denmark passed the ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) audit and received certification for the third time. The traditional supply chain for shea is long and complex, with many middlemen between AAK and the women in the bush. Many of these middlemen have a logistics function moving kernels from the rural areas to the bigger towns. It’s a well-functioning supply chain, providing an income to millions of people in West Africa. As market leader in the shea industry, we have, through our direct sourcing program Kolo Nafaso in Burkina Faso and Ghana, taken responsibility and engaged directly with more than 130,000 women producers of shea kernels. A unique raw material for AAK