I am Alice Agyeman, founder of AGO LIMITED and the woman behind MAAGO. I grew up in Ghana, where caring for ourselves and one another was woven into everyday life. Shea butter was always present in our home—used to nourish the skin, soften dry areas, and care for the family. At the time, I did not think of shea butter as a “self-care product.” It was simply part of how we cared.

The Question That Stayed With Me

As I encountered younger generations across the African diaspora, I noticed that many viewed shea butter as something old-fashioned—an African body butter disconnected from modern beauty and self-care.

Many knew little about where it came from, its importance in nature and the cosmetics industry, or the generations of Ghanaian women whose knowledge and craftsmanship have sustained its production.

That stayed with me.

How do we carry tradition forward without removing it from the people, places, and stories that gave it meaning?

I did not want to change tradition simply to make it feel modern. I wanted to invite tradition into modern life—to present it in a way that felt familiar and relevant while preserving its origin, integrity, and purpose.

That desire became part of what drives MAAGO.

Bringing the Old and New Together

I began whipping traditionally made Ghanaian shea butter and blending it with thoughtfully selected oils. I wanted to create an experience that would feel soft, inviting, and accessible to today’s generation without disconnecting shea from the land, knowledge, and women behind it.

For me, this work is not about modernizing tradition.

It is about making room for tradition within modern self-care—and allowing the old and the new to exist together with purpose.

That philosophy guides how I approach every MAAGO product: honoring what has been passed down while thoughtfully creating for the way we live today.

Why Intentional Care Matters to Me

MAAGO is also rooted in something life had to teach me personally.

Like many women, I grew up learning to care deeply for others. For years, I believed that if I continued pouring into the people around me, life would somehow take care of me in return.

But there were seasons when I gave so much of myself that I neglected my own needs.

Over time, I learned that caring for myself was not selfish or indulgent. It was necessary. I could not continue showing up fully for my family, my work, or my dreams without also making room for my own well-being.

That realization changed how I understood self-care.

I came to see it not as a performance or an occasional luxury, but as a quiet practice of returning to yourself. Sometimes, it is as simple as slowing down, nourishing your skin, taking a breath, and paying attention to what you need.

MAAGO grew from that understanding.