Texas leads the country in exporting goods and one North Texas company is helping keep the Lone Star State in first place.
Shea Touch in Grand Prairie is working to promote international business by importing shea butter in its raw form and exporting it in the form of skin creams, lip balms and natural soaps.
The company behind Shea Touch, Kasny Recon, Inc., was started by Olivier Agouna-Deciat. He works with people in his home country of Chad to bring 50 to 60 barrels per year of raw shea butter from Africa to his small company in Grand Prairie.
"We started looking for a way to add value to a natural commodity that could be found back in Chad, where I'm from," said Agouna-Deciat. "Even as a small company, you can have a global vision and that's what we see happening."
Shea Touch has created jobs in Chad and from Grand Prairie Shea Touch is exported to back to Chad as well as other countries like France and China.
"Being able to do something with a product that comes originally from where I'm from and being able to expose it to the world is a great feeling," said Agouna-Deciat's business partner Laagabka Tchindebbe.
The company also imports herbal extracts from India that are used for its hair products.
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After three years, the business is slowly growing thanks in small part to the Internet and online sales of natural moisturizers.
"Some of our products are actually now ranked as number two and number three in our Amazon search," said Agouna-Deciat.
The men behind Shea Touch say the company is a product of love and they're happy to see it beginning to grow though it has a way to go before turning a real profit.
"It's the best lotion I have ever used," said Mal Bass, company mentor and customer. "Please don't tell my tennis buddies, please."
Agouna-Deciat has been invited to be a guest speaker at the 2012 Texas Export Import Forum in Dallas on Thursday.
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