BruceCarvesWax Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 There was a dude at the fleamarket that looked like he just came off a plane from Africa. (from how he dressed to how he talked.. loved to hear him talk)He was selling raw shea in small tubs at a booth down from me. The largest size was about a half pint which he wanted $25.00 for... oops not me thank you! Anyway he had a shea nut at his booth packed full of shea butter. That sucker was quite a bit larger than a basketball and was JAM packed with shea. Im not sure if thats the way it came solid in the nut or if it was placed in the shell but it was a cool site to see. I had no idea that the shea nut was that large... and made for an impressive display too. Just thought I would pass this along as I was shocked when I seen it in person. CoolBruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladysj Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 That is cool Bruce. I would like to see one in person also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soycrazy Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 That is neat, I was on a site the other day and it showed how they make it, but I can't find it now. I did find another one and it should give you a idea of how they do it http://www.ewb.ca/en/whatsnew/sheanut.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 There was a link posted not too long ago for a company that sells those. They are not shea nuts, they are some type of goard or something that is tightly packed with shea. Many people pass them off as shea nuts at local markets. Maybe someone with the link will post it again.Click on the link in soycrazy's post. You will see a shea nut in that person's palm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Well that figures I would be fooled like that! Im gona get some pictures off the net and hope he sets up close to me next week so I can plaster them on my booth! LOLBruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladysj Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I would love to see a pic of the NUT he's saying is a Shea nut. Sounds like he's the nut lmao Check it out a little more Bruce I would love to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I didn't realize these nuts were that big. When I hear nut I think of small nuts like almond. $25 for 8 oz isn't so bad. If you've been to stores like L'Occitane they charge way more than that. I remember paying (this was before I learned to make my own stuff) $6 for a 1/2 oz tin and that was several years ago so I'm sure they charge even more now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Shea nuts are about the size of a quarter.What you saw was a calabash (gourd) filled with shea butter. Very good marketing trick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Here is a pic of the calabash gourds. They make bowls out of them in Africa. They need to line them with shea butter as they dry out so they dont collapse in and or crack. Was the guy really trying to pass them off as actual nuts? Maybe they just use them as cheap packaging? If what you are getting is pure unrefined shea butter, I really dont see why anyone would be upset about the container its in. It looks like it could hold almost 10lbs, so $25.00 for 10lbs of unrefined shea butter actually sounds pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Thank you Gene, I knew someone would come along who knew what I was talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Here is a pic of the calabash gourds. They make bowls out of them in Africa. They need to line them with shea butter as they dry out so they dont collapse in and or crack. Was the guy really trying to pass them off as actual nuts? That picture is just like what he had on the display packed with shea telling everone it was a shea nutFirst thing he did was ask me if I have ever seen a shea nut, I said no and he said after he got his display set up he would bring one out. It was just for display since his shea was in other containers for retail. Ummm, his packaging was not up to par so he was not going for the high end consumer. No label just a 4 ounce plastic condiment cup with lid and 2 other size plastic containers that looked like they came straight from the local grocery store deli minus the ham salad. Yep fancy smancy so I do think the price was high... Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I do some business with a lady from south Africa. She showed me a shea nut once and it was the size of a large grape. She also sells shea butter and she had me buy one (my first time buying shea) for $25 (and that was a sacrifice for her) for 1 lb. wont be doing that again. In her store, she sells 1.9 oz for $9.00. It's just shea butter with a bit of essential oil in it. Crazy.Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I did a xmas craft show where this guy a couple of booths down was selling shea butter out of one of those large shells. I walked down to his booth to talk to him about it. He gave me a sample and put it right on my skin. Sure was nice-- but I don't like the smell of unrefined shea. Makes me gag! LOLBut it definitely was interesting to see what it looks like straight off the plane from Africa to market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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