Why ours is ivory and not white.
Shea trees take twenty years to bear fruit. Ours is hand-pressed by women's cooperatives in West Africa, nut to paste — no solvents, no bleaching, no deodorizing. White shea has been stripped; the vitamins A and E, the fatty acids, the natural triterpenes go out with the color. Ivory is what raw actually looks like.
The 10 lb tub
$57.99 · $5.80 / lb
Our entry wholesale format and the minimum order. A single food-grade tub — right for small-batch makers, a treatment room, or testing the material before you commit to a case.
Flat $30 shipping.
The 44 lb case
$259.99 · $5.91 / lb
Production volume. The format for formulators running regular batches, spas going through shea weekly, or retailers repacking under their own label.
Flat $55 shipping. Need more than 45 lb? We quote freight individually.
Wholesale Tiers
Order the 10 lb tub — $57.99 Order the 44 lb case — $259.99
10% off your first order with code WHOLESALE10 at checkout. One use per customer.
Minimum order: 10 lb. No account or application needed.
Shipping
- Up to 15 lb — flat $30
- 15 to 45 lb — flat $55
- Over 45 lb — freight, quoted individually
Ships from our Virginia warehouse. Lead time 4–5 days.
Questions before you order?
Email bawo@merinkind.com — tell us what you're making and we'll help you size your first order. Larger volumes and standing orders welcome.
About our shea butter
What does unrefined actually mean?
The nuts are cracked, roasted, ground and hand-pressed — and nothing else happens. No hexane or solvent extraction, no bleaching clay, no deodorizing. Refined shea is put through heat and filtration that strips the color and scent, and takes most of the vitamin A, vitamin E and cinnamic acid with it. What is left moisturizes, but it is a different material.
Why is it ivory instead of white?
Color is the fastest way to judge shea. Unrefined butter runs ivory to pale yellow depending on the season and the nut. Bright white almost always means it has been processed. If you are selling on provenance, the color is doing work for you on the shelf.
What does it smell like?
Faintly nutty and earthy. It is noticeable in the raw material and mellows considerably once whipped or blended into a formulation. If you need a scent-free base, this is not it — that is what refined shea is for.
How should I store it, and how long does it keep?
Cool, dry, out of direct sun, lid sealed. Shelf life is typically 12 to 24 months. Shea melts around 90°F, so a hot warehouse or a summer delivery left on a dock can soften or melt it — harmless, but it may set grainy. Gently melt and cool quickly to reset a smooth texture.
Why did my batch turn grainy?
Graininess is the different fatty acids in shea setting at different rates, usually after partial melting and slow cooling. It is a texture issue, not spoilage. Melt fully to about 175°F, then cool rapidly — an ice bath or the fridge — and it comes back smooth.
What can I use it for?
It is a single-ingredient base. Whipped body butters, balms, salves, hair creams, soap superfatting, massage bases. It is also shelf-ready as-is if you want to repack under your own label — many of our wholesale buyers do exactly that.
Where is it sourced?
Direct from a women's cooperative in West Africa, members of the Global Shea Alliance. The same supply chain every time, so the material you formulate around this quarter is the material you get next quarter.
Is the color and texture consistent between orders?
Shea is an agricultural product, so expect minor seasonal variation in shade and scent — that is a sign it has not been processed to uniformity. The performance characteristics stay consistent. If you need a specific spec for a formulation, get in touch before you order.