Partner login

Sealing Tool

Reach out to our online tool for sealing instructions for containers and trailers.

Login

FreightInsight

Check the actual status of your shipments, the estimated time of arrival and many more via FreightInsight.

Login

Charter portal

The charter portal provides transport partners access to transport planning, work instructions, orders and feedback.

Login

Employee login

Tengio

Tengio is the communication portal for Van den Bosch employees. Get connected!

Login

Online Academy

Stay up to date on our latest procedures and e-learnings via our online Academy.

Login

Citrix login

Employees can log in via a remote Citrix login. Receive your login via the ICT Service Desk.

Login

My Van den Bosch Outlook

Online Outlook webportal for drivers.

Login

The journey of shea butter
Product case

The journey of shea butter

Identifying opportunities and converting them into successful logistics concepts. That’s what drives us. By approaching the supply chain in a smarter way, Van den Bosch is contributing to tangible change in various sectors. This also goes for the shea butter supply chain, where we’re creating new opportunities for the West African market.

Shea butter is a vegetable fat extracted from the fruit of the West African tree Vitellaria paradoxa. Its nuts are separated from the pulp, dried and ground into a fatty mass: shea butter. Shea butter is mainly used in cosmetic products, such as moisturisers, ointments or lotions. It is also used as an edible oil, in margarine, in soap and even in medicines.

Sustainable and ethical
“Shea butter is a natural product that’s becoming increasingly popular,” says Bart van de Vorst, General Manager at Van den Bosch DMCC in Dubai. “This is in line with the growing demand for sustainable and ethical products. Shea butter has nice properties. It’s natural, soft and good for the skin. What’s more, it’s not extracted using mass production techniques because the tree only occurs in a limited part of the savanna. This reinforces its ethical characteristics.”

“The popularity of shea butter is in line with the growing demand for sustainable and ethical products.”

Stearin and olein
Delving deeper into the processing process, you discover that shea butter is first split into stearin and olein. Olein is a sustainable alternative to sunflower oil, palm oil and olive oil. Stearin mainly goes to the cosmetics sector. “Where splitting previously took place in Europe, we see that multinationals are now investing in local processing centres so that the product is processed at source”, says Van de Vorst.

Shipping as bulk freight
Van den Bosch ships raw shea butter and stearin to Europe in 20ft ISO tank containers. “The product is loaded at the right temperature and cools down during transport. In Europe, we bring it back up to the right temperature at strategically located heating stations close to the unloading location. This provides a lot of advantages over traditional modes of transport”, says Van de Vorst. “The usual method of transporting it as a block requires a lot of physical handling. What’s more, heating up is a time-consuming process. The move to bulk transport in ISO tanks is ideal in terms of reduced labour, increased capacity and heating options.”

Processing at source
In collaboration with our partner Savannah Fruits, we’re helping the local population to start up their own processing centres. Van de Vorst: “The tree doesn’t grow on the coast, but inland. This creates logistical challenges. We provide tank containers in which the shea butter is temporarily stored before it goes to the port. In this way we help the local population to process the product at source and still export it as bulk cargo: a win-win situation.”

Interested in the possibilities for your product?
Contact Van den Bosch and optimise your supply chain.

Would you like to receive new insights?

At Van den Bosch, we are happy to share our experience to improve the world of bulk logistics together. Please feel free to contact us with any challenge, question or request.

Minimising carbon footprints

Read the story

Van den Bosch The Refresco case

Afbeelding