We have sold tons and tons of unrefined shea butter across South Africa, here's why customers choose us.
Choosing a shea butter supplier isn't just about finding the lowest price. It's about knowing where your unrefined shea butter comes from, how it was produced and having confidence that you're receiving an authentic, quality product.
Since 2017, we've supplied unrefined shea butter to soap makers, skincare brands, DIY makers and households across South Africa. Over the years we've learned that trust is built through transparency, consistency and long-term relationships.
These are the values that guide how we source, import and supply our unrefined shea butter today.
Our unrefined shea butter comes directly from a women's co-operative in northern Ghana.
Rather than purchasing through multiple traders , we've built a direct relationship with the people who produce our shea butter. Working closely with our producers gives us a better understanding of how the butter is made and allows us to source batches that meet the standards our customers have come to expect.
When I first began sourcing unrefined shea butter, I wanted to understand the product from its source rather than simply buying it through a distributor.
Visiting Ghana gave me a much deeper appreciation for the skill, hard work and tradition behind every batch of unrefined shea butter.
That experience continues to shape how we do business today.
We believe that strong relationships create better products. By working directly with our producers over many years, we've developed trust on both sides and a shared commitment to quality.
Good shea butter starts long before it reaches our warehouse.
One of the things we're most proud of is the traceability of our shea butter.
From the communities where the shea nuts are collected, through the traditional production process, to the butter we import, package and distribute in South Africa, we know exactly where every batch comes from.
That traceability gives us confidence in the authenticity and consistency of our unrefined shea butter, and it gives our customers confidence in what they're buying.
Unrefined shea butter retains its natural colour, aroma and many of its naturally occurring properties.
We first bought it because we wanted to use it in the products we make ourselves at olive handmade soaps.
While refined shea butter certainly has its place in cosmetic manufacturing, we've always believed there is something special about authentic, traditionally produced raw shea butter.
That's why unrefined shea butter has been at the heart of what we do from the beginning.
Whether you're making soap, formulating skincare or simply looking for a natural moisturiser, we want you to experience unrefined shea butter as it was traditionally produced.
Over the years we've answered many questions about unrefined shea butter:
What is the difference between yellow and ivory shea butter?
Why does the colour change?
Why does one batch smell different from another?
Should I choose refined or unrefined?
Rather than simply selling unrefined shea butter, we believe in helping people understand it.
That's why we've created guides, FAQs and educational resources to help you choose the right product with confidence.
Whether you buy from us today or you're still learning about unrefined shea butter, we hope you'll find those resources genuinely useful.
Unrefined shea butter is often called "Women's Gold" because its production provides an important source of income for women across West Africa.
In many rural communities, women collect the shea fruit and produce the butter using skills that have been passed down through generations.
By sourcing directly from a women's co-operative in northern Ghana, we're proud to support both the quality of the product and the communities behind it.
Today our shea butter is used by:
Some customers are buying their first kilogram others their first private labelled soaps. Others have trusted us with their businesses for years.
Whether you're ordering one tub or purchasing in bulk, our goal is the same: to supply authentic unrefuned shea butter backed by honest advice and reliable service.
When customers tell us why they continue buying from us, it's rarely just about the unrefined shea butter itself.
It's because they value:
These are the things we've worked hard to build since 2017, and they remain at the heart of Isivuno Naturals today.
Whether you're buying your first tub, developing a skincare range or looking for a long-term ingredient supplier, we'd love to help.
If you're not sure which shea butter is right for your needs, start with our educational guides or get in touch. We're always happy to answer your questions.
Explore our unrefined shea butter range and discover the difference that sourcing directly from the source can make.
Zikhona Tefu
Zikhona Tefu is the founder of Isivuno Naturals and O'live Handmade Soaps. A self-taught soap maker and skincare formulator since 2011, she founded Isivuno Naturals in 2017 after struggling to find well-sourced, quality ingredients she could trust in her own formulations. Passionate about teaching, she shares practical, experience-based knowledge to help makers, formulators, and growing skincare brands create with confidence using ingredients they understand and can trust.
