Who we are
About Akesan
A New Jersey company sourcing, consolidating and importing bulk agricultural commodities from Nigeria into the United States.
Our business
Bridging Nigerian origin and American industry
Akesan is a limited liability company registered in New Jersey, engaged in the import and distribution of bulk agricultural commodities from Nigeria. Our programme is centred on unrefined shea butter, supported by the wider portfolio of Nigerian agricultural exports — sesame, hibiscus, dried ginger, cocoa, cashew, tiger nuts and soybean meal.
We work with growers, cooperatives and processing facilities at origin, and we deliver to manufacturers, refiners, wholesalers and institutional buyers across the United States.
Our approach is deliberately narrow. Rather than trading across every commodity that presents itself, we concentrate on the goods that move well on the lanes we already know, and on the documentation that keeps them moving. That focus is what allows us to answer a specification sheet with confidence rather than a guess.
We are interested in long-term supply relationships rather than single transactions, and we treat information shared with us as confidential.
Why it matters
Buying Nigerian shea directly is the difference between a commodity and a controlled ingredient
The market rewards buyers who can show where their shea came from and that it was tested before it moved. It punishes buyers caught with an inconsistent lot or a shipment held at the port.
Akesan exists in the middle of that problem. We know the cooperatives, we know the paperwork, and we take responsibility for both.
How we operate
Our operating principles
Cooperative sourcing
We buy through established cooperatives and processing facilities in the shea belt — Kwara, Niger, Oyo, Benue and Kogi — rather than through open-market aggregation. That produces traceable lots and stable quality season to season.
Documentation first
Certificate of origin, certificate of analysis and a phytosanitary certificate issued at origin, with FDA prior notice filed ahead of arrival. Nothing moves without the paperwork that clears it.
Compliance as a discipline
We hold a continuous customs bond, clear through a licensed customs broker of record, and pre-screen suppliers for APHIS requirements before any purchase order is raised.
Verification on file
We keep foreign supplier verification records for every facility we buy from, and provide lot-level traceability from origin to your dock.
Next step
Work with us
If you are buying shea butter or another Nigerian commodity, send us a specification sheet and your target landed cost. If you are evaluating the category, we are glad to send samples and a specification sheet before any commercial conversation.