The young entrepreneur Benjamin Mampuya of Congolese origin started from the observation that shea butter is a product very used in African households to cook, while in France it has only a cosmetic use today. He therefore had the ambitious idea of making shea butter accessible to the general public as a food and common consumption product. He created organic artisanal ice cream based on karate butter with several tropical fruit flavors, 10 in total: Aloko, Baobab, Bissap, Peanut, Cocoa, Ginger, Kaki, Mango, Coconut, and Vanilla.
The ice cream quickly proved to be the ideal support in which it could combine shea butter. He creates his artisanal ice cream with shea butter. These are the first shea butter ice cream products manufactured and marketed on the French and European markets. They are stamped “ICE KARITE”. Food use and its virtues are still unknown to the Western public. By putting on the market the “ICE KARITE” product range, it offers consumers of shea butter new products that they are still unaware of. With the “ICE KARITE” ice cream, he wants to make the general public discover that shea butter is a food product that is consumed like so many others!
The virtues of a flagship ingredient
Shea butter is used in cosmetics for its beneficial properties on the body, but also in pure form in African cuisine. Its richness in mono-unsaturated fatty acids ranks it among the best edible oils alongside olive oil; and we know it less! More recently, new food uses for shea butter have emerged. His approach on the use of shea butter in his ice cream is therefore part of this new line of manufacture of the products elaborated that stand out from the traditional use of shea butter namely: cooking oil. (hibiscus flower), coconut. These other ingredients also have known and beneficial virtues for our organism.
What will the collection do?
This collection will be used to market our range of organic ice in individual version and small pots of 473 mL and 165 mL, to meet the strong demand of our customers. Currently, ice cream is packaged in a 1L tray for the general public and 2.5L for restaurants. Customers want to be served with pots in small quantities and in an organic version.
Our team
Benjamin MAMPUYA is a Congolese national (DRC). He came to Montpellier in 1987 to complete his graduate studies. After his studies, he made a brief passage in higher education as a professor at the Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie Tropicale in Montpellier. At the same time, Benjamin Mampuya created Le Marché Tropical, which later became MNS Market, a company selling ethnic food and cosmetics. In 2018, he created the young company called ESONALIS. He works closely with my wife and two loyal partners: WONTAR Association and PROVIASUD Laboratory.
Call for donations
It calls today for a donation that will provide support for the self-financing of the association. Indeed, the project plans to create a participatory vignette to the activities of the association WONTAR. The consumer will see the amount of the ESONALIS contribution to the association on each container or jar of ice intended for sale. The pool link here.
The WONTAR Association
It has partnered with them to secure its supply of raw materials, mainly shea butter and bissap. Based in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), WONTAR is an association created and managed by women. It manufactures shea butter, exploits the bissap it exports to France on behalf of ESONALIS. With its purchases and the income it provides, women can take care of themselves, buy basic necessities, educate their children and self-finance their activities.
The PROVIASUD laboratory
Specialized in the formulation of extract based on STEVIA, Benjamin MAMPUYA works with them on the development of the first ice cream with shea butter at STEVIA, 100% vegetable and organic without added sugar. This new light ice cream can be a gourmet alternative to diabetics and people who are looking for natural products, healthy without too much or not at all sugar and often of vegetable origin.
