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Conrad Bérubé |
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| Farmserve Africa Farmer to Farmer volunteer report Higher incomes for beekeepers through
the Trip dates September 15, 2002 to October
16, 2002 Conrad Bérubé |
Pomade manufacture as a small-scale income-generating activity accompanying beekeeping and shea butter production
The production of moisturizing skin cream (sometimes called "cold cream" in north america or "pomade" in Africa) is a relatively simple process (see attached recipe) technically. however, the marketing and distribution of the final product can cause some rather difficult cultural challenges:
who will initiate /organize production? (i.e. will the co-op take the initiative to produce the pomade or do they need coaxing/direction from OICT)
who will ensure quality control? (is there a need to maintain purity or consistency or is the quality of packaging the major marketing hurdle?
How will it be ensured that those who participate in production and sales are those that receive the benefits of the enterprise?
How will products be marketed? (i.e. will individual women conduct sales or will the products be passed to a middle-merchant such as street sellers, market stalls, grocery stores or cosmetic counters?)
How much of a share will storekeepers charge?
How will money be handled throughout the chain of sale? (will the products be sold on consignment or will the storekeeper purchase the pomade? if the former who will go to collect money from the storekeeper. the storekeeper should make some guarantee to the seller that reimbursement will be made for damaged or lost product.)
Manufacturing concerns:
Hygiene (jars should be clean and attractive; )
Packaging and labels (an attractive and informative label is key to good marketing and should contain pictures indicating the use of the product as well as text explaining the use, the ingredients the weight of the contents and any special handling instructions)
Shipping (how is the product going to get from the point of production to the point of sale?
If producers go out to villages they will expect a larger “piece of the action” than if the product is brought to them).
Cooperative cells interested in selling pomade should contact store proprietors directly, prior to manufacturing any of the pomade for sale (to confirm whether pomade will be on consignment or purchased outright by the shopkeeper, to confirm quantities the proprietor is willing to carry and to ensure that packaging [size, containers, labels] are acceptable to the proprietor, etc]. The following locations have expressed a willingness to sell pomade elaborated by beekeeping cooperatives.
Anita HormHajia Amama
Amam's Enterprise
po box 1809
(shop is located @ double road @ nib road near nib bank)
Tamale, Northern Region
Ghana
(071) 24122
024 53 00 31
Sister Jacqueline Picard
colwod designs
(their batik container shop is located on the road between the post office and
the goil station)
po box tl 163
Tamale, Northern Region
Ghana
(071) 22701
msolatie@Africaonline.com.gh
If cooperative representatives are reluctant or unable to communicate because of language barriers OIC staff members sumani osuman or Mohammed Ali ibrahim are willing to accompany them to facilitate the meeting and negotiations.
Beeswax pomade (cold cream)
(adapted from gentry, c. 1982. Small scale beekeeping. Peace Corps,
Office of information collection and exchange, Washington, D.C.)
Notes before beginning:
Because the making of pomade involves heating of beeswax the odour of the wax may call bees to the work area. the curious bees may worry the manufacturers-- if possible pomade making should be done at night when bees are not flying.
Borax can be irritating-- be careful with the powder.
This recipe is a favorite amongst the beauty conscious and weather‑chapped alike and serves as a cold cream as well as a moisturizer for dry skin. Beeswax is usually the limiting factor so proportions may be altered in accordance to the amount of wax available:
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To produce about 10 kilos of pomade: 1500 gms (or 1 large voltic bottle) beeswax 90 gms (or one small pill bottle) borax (if available) Aromatic essence (if desired) |
To produce about 1 kilos of pomade: 100 gms beeswax 6 gms borax (if available) Aromatic essence (if desired) |
The borax, or sodium borate, neutralizes the
acids in the beeswax and acts as an emulsifier—but it is not absolutely essential.
Instructions:
Heat the shea butter, beeswax and one half of the water together stirring constantly until the shea butter and beeswax have melted completely. Remove the mixture from heat.
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Mix the borax and the remaining water together and shake or stir vigorously; when the borax has dissolved, pour the cool water into the melted sea butter and beeswax mixture and stir thoroughly.
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When the mixture has cooled to the point where it can be handled comfortably, medicinal herbs or essential oils or fragrances can be added and thoroughly stirred into the pomade. herbs and essential oils are better than alcohol-based perfumes because the latter can change the consistency of the pomade making it rather grainy. Food dyes may be added to change the colour if desired but dyes used for cloth should not be used, as these may be harmful if applied to the skin. keep the pomade in sealed containers and keep the products cool as the ingredients may separate if melted. for outdoor sales the containers can be kept under a damp cloth to keep them cool.
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Costs for demonstration batch of beeswax and shea butter pomade |
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Beeswax (¢15000/kg) and we used about 3.33 kilos* |
¢ 50,000 |
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Shea butter (¢6000/kg) and we used about 5 kilos* |
¢ 30,000 |
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Borax (¢12500/kg) and we used about 90 grams |
¢ 500 |
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Containers (¢4000/container) and we used 28 labels |
¢ 112,000 |
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Labels (¢5000/page of 5 labels) and we used about 25 labels or 5 pages |
¢ 5,000 |
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Perfume (¢25000/litre) and we used about 250ml |
¢ 6,250 |
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Charcoal (¢30000/bag) we would have used probably about ¢2000 worth |
¢ 2,000 |
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Total for 32 containers (we made more than we had expected and had to use some few additional containers) |
¢ 205,750 |
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Cost per container |
$6,429.69 |
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* note: shea butter and beeswax would normally not need to be purchased but their full value should be calculated in determining price as an input |
Additional recipes:
Pollen protein-patties
Some students of mine, preparing refreshments for a bee product exhibit, came
up with this recipe for pollen patties:
1/2 cup fresh pollen pellets
(dried are acceptable as well)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup dry powdered milk
1 cup peanut butter
Mix together the dry powdered milk and pollen pellets. add honey and vanilla and mix well. add peanut butter. (if desired, rice crisps can be added at this point.) form mixture into balls about an inch in diameter. these can be dipped into melted carob or chocolate chips (with a bit of beeswax added until smooth in consistency).
beeswax and propolis burn ointment
This ointment for burns was originally intended to be used with propolis and
wax from a stingless bee colony (Melipona Sp) as it is a variant of a
formula used by the mayan indians. equally satisfactory results can be obtained
using the bee products available more commonly.
38 gms beeswax
20 gms propolis
10 gms pulverized aloe
30 gms water
1 gm borax
Grate and melt together the beeswax and propolis. remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. store in a jar.
Beeswax ointment
By caroline campion, PCV bolgatanga
Ingredients
5 handfuls shea butter
1 ½ handfuls chopped herbs (dried or fresh, leaves, stems, bark, or roots)
3 ½ pieces of beeswax (palm size)
Utensils
Stove
jars or containers with covers
pot with cover
strainer or cloth for straining (gauze or mosquito netting)
spoon or stirring stick
extra bowl or pot.
Directions
Adapted from Goulart, f.s. 1980. "continent." American bee journal vol. 120(2), pp. 134-135
The following formula is said to be a skin moisturizer‑‑ apparently the reasoning being that the honey incorporated into the mix will draw moisture from the air and replace that lost from the skin, the foundation of seed oil preventing the honey from drawing moisture out of the skin, drying it out. well, if you find the results unsatisfactory as a beauty aid it makes a delicious breakfast cereal.
- Gently lubricate hands and face with a light film of sesame, avocado or sunflower oil.
- Then apply a film of raw honey or honey thickened into a "mash" with fine crushed raw oatmeal.
- Apply heat to speed up the healing, helping action of the honey and oil. a heat lamp will do if there's no natural sunlight.
For more information on the farmer-to-farmer program write to
Farmserve Africa Program
OIC International 240 West Tulpehocken Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
For more information on the Peace Corps visit the following website:
or write to:
Peace Corps
806 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20526
Or call (toll-free): 800-484-8580 or look up the local recruiting office under the government listings in your telephone directory.
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