Unrefined Grade A shea butter for hair care in the United States
Unrefined Grade A shea butter for hair care shipped from Lagos to the United States.
Summary
- MOQ
- 20 t (trial from 5 t)
- Incoterms
- EXW, FOB, CIF
- Lead time
- Production plus ocean time; rolling shipments available
- Discharge
- New York/Newark
Why the United States buys Nigerian shea butter
The United States does not grow shea. Every drum of cosmetic or food-grade shea butter that a New Jersey filler, an Ohio formulator or a Texas distributor specifies is a West African fat — usually Nigerian — not a domestic oilseed. EMI Agro presses unrefined Grade A and refined N-RBD in Ibadan from wild-collected nuts gathered with 5,000+ women collectors in Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, and loads at Apapa (Lagos) and Tin Can Island (Lagos) for New York/Newark, Savannah, Los Angeles or Houston.
US buyers treat shea as a specified vegetable fat, not a retail jar. The purchase order should name the grade, a NIS 571:2013 COA (free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture, color, melting point) and the discharge port. FDA filings — MoCRA facility questions for finished cosmetics, Prior Notice and FSVP for food-use drums — sit with the United States importer. They do not replace the batch COA EMI Agro issues.
East and Gulf Coast boxes typically land at New York/Newark, Savannah or Houston (about 20–32 ocean days from Lagos). Los Angeles is the West Coast door and is a longer typical range (about 35–50 days). Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio and Atlanta take rail or truck from those coasts — there is no Great Lakes shea service. EMI Agro does not operate a US warehouse.
HTSUS 1515.90.21.00 (nut oils) is the line CBP ruling N362222 classifies for shea butter, Column 1 Free. Confirm the ten-digit statistical number on the entry date. EMI Agro does not compute landed duty or file the Importer Security Filing.
Unrefined Grade A for hair care in the United States
US hair-care brands — especially those selling into the New York and Atlanta markets — specify unrefined Grade A for anhydrous balms and cream bases. Ask for color and odor against a retained sample. Inland Ohio and Midwest plants haul from New York/Newark or Houston.
How to buy from EMI Agro in the United States
EMI Agro quotes EXW Ibadan, FOB Lagos or CIF New York/Newark (or another named US port). The three terms are not interchangeable prices: EXW is the butter at the factory gate; FOB adds Lagos load and export handling; CIF adds ocean freight and insurance to the named US port. Tell us which term you want.
Standard United States orders start at 20 tonnes. Trial lots start at 5 tonnes. If you need less, still send the request — we review every enquiry against current production of 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter. Rolling shipments can be scheduled once a programme is named.
Lead time is Ibadan production plus ocean time to New York/Newark, Savannah, Los Angeles or Houston. Inland time to New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio and Atlanta is extra and sits with the importer unless the quote names a delivered arrangement. Use the container calculator to plan drums versus a 20 ft or 40 ft load, then confirm the fit on the quote.
Duty, documents and clearance live on the import guide for the United States. Packs and the quote lane live on the supplier page.
Nigerian shea butter for the United States
Shea is not grown in the United States. A formulator in the US who wants bulk shea butter is buying a Nigerian or West African fat, not a domestic oilseed. A formulator in Ohio or a filler in New Jersey is still buying a West African fat — there is no domestic shea crush. EMI Agro works with 5,000+ women collectors in Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi. Chicago buyers usually take the inland haul from New York/Newark.
Ask for a batch COA on a NIS 571:2013 basis: free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture, color and melting point. Reject lots that smell sharply rancid or pour like liquid oil at room temperature. FDA filings sit with the the US importer — they do not replace a COA.
Trial lots start at 5 tonnes; standard orders start at 20 tonnes. Send the request even if you need less — EMI Agro reviews every United States enquiry against current production of 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and can schedule rolling shipments. Lead time is Ibadan production plus ocean time to New York/Newark. Quotes are EXW, FOB or CIF; each term prices different services beyond the butter.
Two questions. We show the grade, the documents that usually apply and the next step — we do not invent a price.
Recommended specifications for hair care
| Parameter | Target for hair care | Why it matters | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slip melting point | Available on request | Governs spreadability on hair, set of a pomade and the whipping window of a hair butter; a batch at the high end feels waxy, at the low end feels greasy. | AOCS Cc 3-25 |
| Free fatty acid (FFA) | Available on request | Free acids turn the accepted nutty note into a rancid one; leave-on hair products keep the odour close to the nose. | AOCS Ca 5a-40 / ISO 660 |
| Peroxide value (PV) | Available on request | Oxidative headroom for products that sit open in bathrooms for months. | AOCS Cd 8-53 |
| Unsaponifiable matter | Available on request | The fraction natural-hair brands cite as shea's point of difference; retained in unrefined material. | AOCS Ca 6a-40 |
| Moisture and volatiles | Available on request | Water in anhydrous pomades and butters invites hydrolysis and microbial growth without a preservative. | AOCS Ca 2b-38 / ISO 662 |
| Colour | Available on request | Sets the shade of whipped butters and pomades; a band keeps batches visually consistent on shelf. | AOCS Cc 13e-92 |
Frequently asked questions
Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.
Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria
Quote Unrefined Grade A shea butter for the United States
Name the grade, the volume and the discharge port. We reply with the document set and a current COA.
You have just read Unrefined Grade A shea butter for hair care in the United States. The next step is a real lot from the factory that produces it — EMI Agro, with factory-direct pricing and a batch Certificate of Analysis.
Trusted manufacturer
EMI Agro Industries Limited (RC 9364495) presses the butter in Ibadan — we are not a trading company.
Competitive factory-direct prices
Quoted EXW, FOB or CIF — the buyer chooses. You pay the factory, not a chain of middlemen.
Export-ready supply
We ship to European Union, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Southeast Asia, China, India, Middle East, Latin America. Load ports: Apapa (Lagos) or Tin Can Island (Lagos).
Documented lots
40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter, a Certificate of Analysis on every batch, NAFDAC registered and SON approved.