Known as desert jewels, the resin of the frankincense tree oozes out of bark and solidifies into these amber crystals, the women collecting the resin have to manoeuvre around razer sharp thorns which surround the shrub (you need to be tough to survive in the desert) and deftly collect the resin.

Sustainability has come into question around Frankincense over the years as the normal practice is to cut the bark to encourage the plant to secrete the resin, but for this particular variety (Neglecta) there is a beetle doing this job already. They cut into the bark to lay their eggs in a safe place, once the eggs hatch and the new beetles have emerged, the opening secretes the resin, which is then collected to produce Frankincense oil. Making this a totally natural process. 

The majority of Frankincense is shipped out of Africa into the EU and processed there, but this project has it's own distillery, so all the value of the material is kept locally, helping to support the local economy and help to grow the project and employ more and more people.