The short version: we collect what you give us through the quote form, contact form, or newsletter sign-up, use it to respond to your inquiry and run the export relationship, never sell it, and keep it only as long as it's useful to you and us.
01Information we collect
We collect information you provide directly to us, and a small amount of technical information collected automatically when you browse the site.
Provided directly
- Contact details — name, company, role, email, phone, country
- Sourcing details — product interest, grade, packaging, volume, Incoterm, destination, target timeline
- Anything you add in a free-text message or note field
- Newsletter sign-up email address
Collected automatically
- Pages visited, time on site, and referring page, via our own self-hosted analytics — no third-party ad trackers
- General device and browser information (type, screen size) for making the site work correctly
- Approximate location inferred from IP address, to the level of country or city only
02How we use it
We use the information we collect to run the business of exporting shea butter and African black soap, specifically to:
- Respond to quote requests, sample requests, and general inquiries
- Prepare formal quotations, invoices, and shipping documentation for confirmed orders
- Maintain your account details for repeat or standing orders
- Send sourcing updates or harvest notes, only if you've subscribed to the newsletter
- Understand which pages are useful, so we can improve the site
- Meet legal, customs, and export-documentation obligations
We do not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, or targeted advertising.
04Cookies & tracking
The site uses a small number of strictly necessary cookies to remember things like whether you've dismissed a notice, and our own first-party analytics beacon to understand traffic patterns. The map on our Contact page is loaded from Google Maps only if you choose to show it; Google may then set its own cookies, governed by Google's privacy policy. We do not use third-party advertising cookies, and we do not sell browsing data to ad networks.
You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time; doing so won't prevent you from browsing the site, though a few conveniences (like a dismissed banner reappearing) may reset.
05Retention
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Quote & contact inquiries (no order placed) | 24 months from last contact |
| Confirmed order & shipping records | 7 years, to meet Ghanaian customs and tax requirements |
| Newsletter subscription | Until you unsubscribe |
| Site analytics | 14 months, aggregated after 90 days |
After the relevant period, information is deleted or anonymized unless we're required to keep it longer by law.
06Security
We use industry-standard safeguards to protect the information we hold, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) across the site, access controls on our admin systems, and regular review of who has access to what. No system is completely immune to risk, so we can't guarantee absolute security, but we treat this seriously and respond quickly if something looks wrong.
07Your rights
Depending on where you're based, you may have the right to:
- Ask what information we hold about you, and get a copy of it
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Ask us to delete your information, where we're not required to keep it for legal reasons
- Withdraw newsletter consent at any time, via the unsubscribe link in any email
- Object to how we're using your information
To exercise any of these, email info@mothersheagh.com and we'll respond within 30 days.
08International transfers
We're based in Ghana, and buyers reach us from across the world. Where information is transferred outside your home country — including to Ghana, or to our hosting and email providers — we take reasonable steps to keep it protected to a standard consistent with this policy, wherever it's processed.
09Children's privacy
This site is intended for business buyers and is not directed at children. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we'll remove it.
10Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for instance if we add a new form field or change a provider. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. For material changes, we'll note them here for at least 90 days.
11Contact us
Questions about this policy, or a request relating to your information, can go directly to info@mothersheagh.com, or by post to Mother's Shea Ltd, Bubuashie, Greater Accra, Ghana.
Have a question we haven't covered?
Reach the team directly — a person replies, not an autoresponder.