Article
How our argan oil is made
Jul
Our story begins in the Anti-Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Located here, are various villages where Berber women who are part of ethical-run cooperatives reside. When harvest season commences, the Berber women hand-pick the argan fruits from the regions in south-west Morocco. It is ensured that the argan fruits collected originate from the regions in the south-west that offer only the finest quality argan fruits. Hand-picking the argan fruits is an additional measure taken to make certain only the highest quality argan fruits are collected. In addition, any argan nuts that have been spat out, regurgitated or excreted by goats who often climb the trees to eat the argan fruits, are discarded. These nuts are of lower quality, often imparting an acidic, goaty smell which we avoid at all costs.
Once the argan nuts have been collected, they are checked for quality, before undergoing the nut-cracking process. The Berber women begin cracking the nuts open, to retrieve the argan kernels. This is done using only a rock and a sharp stone as tools, making it an extremely arduous and time-consuming process. Even the most experienced of Berber women can only crack so many argan nuts in a day. It has been estimated that one Berber woman requires approximately 12 hours to produce just one litre of cosmetic argan oil, using 30 kilograms of argan nuts. 30 kilograms is the average annual yield of one argan tree, which also highlights the onerous production process of argan oil. Employing this traditional production method is said to be the best way to ensure the argan oil is of the highest quality. Furthermore, it also means the nuts undergo further quality control.
Once the argan kernels have been extracted, the kernels are taken to the factory where they undergo the final stage of quality control. Here the argan nuts are hand-sorted, before being poured into a machine and cold-pressed. The argan oil is then left to decant for 7-10 days to ensure the sediment is removed. Subsequently, the argan oil is then filtered. Each stage of the production process from beginning to end, has been meticulously designed to guarantee the most premium, organic and purest argan oil that can be offered.
