The story of the...
DESERT DATE TREE
LŌPELORE
William Butti: co-founder
is leading the supply chain for Lōpe in Northern Uganda. He is a forestry expert with a Degree from Makerere University in Forest Management. William manages our harvest teams, our raw materials and our processing unit where our desert date oil is made. William has been implementing agribusiness projects in both Uganda and South Sudan and he is a natural born entrepreneur. William has a huge vision of how the Desert Date Value chain will impact his community and the world.
Lauren Servin: co-founder
Was inspired to create Lōpe when friends introduced her to the Desert Date Tree, while visiting with their families in South Sudan in 2006. She later found research about its benefits as a cosmetic oil and set out to build a supply chain that would create good jobs and protect the forest. Lauren has a Diploma in organic skincare formulation and is Lōpe’s product formulator. In her other life, she is an agribusiness and value chain development specialist and has been working with youth agri-entrepreneurs in South Sudan for the last 10 years.
Once Upon a Time...
The Desert Date Tree decided that it was time to come out of the woods and be loved by the world. The tree knew that it would be valuable to womankind and would no longer be cut down once its magic was experienced. The tree had a vision that it could also care for the forest and the people that live nearby.
Once favored in Ancient Egypt, the use of its oil had been lost. Its seeds and stems were once buried in the tombs of pharaohs and its luscious oil was used as the base of ancient perfumes and to heal sunburn, scars and wounds. The tree put the Lōpe team under a spell and they could not think of doing anything else. They dedicated their life to building a brand that would be the foundation of the dream of the Desert Date Tree.
The team's love for the tree inspired decadent products that nourish the skin and therefore, would promote the proliferation of the tree through use by humans. The tree knew that it had the potential to create the most luxurious oil, it knew that it could be desired by each and every person that cares about their skin, hair and well-being. Lōpe skincare products were created and women started using them as their best kept Age Halting secret. If you have read our Lore to this point, this secret is also meant for you. The tree has found its way to you and we hope you will allow its decadent molecules to soak into your skin as your cells are revived.
