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Agro IndustriesShea Butter Manufacturer, Nigeria
Glossary

Wild Collection

Also written as: wild-harvested, wild-crafted, wild-collected shea

Summary

Wild collection means shea nuts are gathered from naturally occurring, unplanted Vitellaria paradoxa trees in the savannah parklands rather than from cultivated plantations. Almost all commercial shea is wild-collected, mostly by women, during the rainy-season fruit fall.

Trees are not plantation-grown, which is why supply is wild-collected and regionally bound. Because collection is dispersed and seasonal, post-harvest handling — boiling and drying at village level — sets kernel quality before anything reaches a press.

Vitellaria paradoxa

Vitellaria paradoxa is the shea tree

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Grade A Shea Butter

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Shea Press Cake

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Full explainer: Shea-Producing Regions

Profiles of Nigeria's shea-belt states and West African countries.

Part of the shea butter glossary · Complete guide to shea butter

Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.