What is Kombo Butter?

Kombo Butter is a traditional pain relieving topical that was relatively unknown outside of the villages and communities that traditionally used it before Baraka partnered with a Ghanaian NGO, Natural Conservation Research Centre (NCRC) to develop the industry.  

The Kombo Tree grows in the cocoa forest, a tall tree that provides natural shade and enhances cocoa landscape biodiversity.  Western mono-cropping influences, coupled with the fact that there was no immediate economic benefit to preserving it meant that Kombo trees were being cut and the cocoa was losing its natural shade.  

Together with NCRC we realized that if we could develop a market for Kombo Butter we could not only create a significant new income opportunity for local rural women and communities, but we could have an impact on ecosystem health and bio-diversity.  Learn more about this in a short video shot from the cocoa forest and in this interview with one of NCRC’s field staff where we discuss the social, economic and ecosystem impact of the development of the industry.

We helped train local women to collect and prepare Kombo Nuts, giving them both extra income and an extra season to earn it in.  We developed and ran training programs to train local women how to produce Kombo Butter and packaged it and started to share it with formulators and our customers in North America.

The response from people who tried it and use it has been overwhelming.  Go here and scroll to the bottom and you will see their comments and feedback.  Not only have they found that the traditional use as a pain killer is clear, but they find it so easy to formulate with and that it makes all other butters apply easier. The one downside is that it can stain if you have a formulation with a high percentage of Kombo Butter and don’t give it a couple of minutes to absorb into your skin before putting on light coloured clothes.

Here are a few simple recipes (no more than 5 ingredients & 5 steps).  You can see more on the website or order the full recipe kit here.

Watch for new recipes and Kombo formulation experiences and insights posted regularly.

And, let us know about your own experiences with Kombo Butter.  Post on the Baraka Clan page and share with others in Clan Baraka.