Supply-Chain

NEEDED FOR ONE LITER ARGAN OIL

*HARVEST
38 kg of ripe argan
fruit picked up.

*SUN DRYING
25 kg of dry fruit
Argan

*PULP REMOVING
20 kg of nuts
Argan

*HAND CRUSHING
3 kg of oil-rich kernels
Argan

*PRESSING
1 liter edible oil and 0.6 liter of cosmetic oil.

The Argan tree

As home to this rare and endangered species, the argan forest was declared an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1998. A big part is from me and my family! We are the official heirs

The argan tree can reach a height of between 3 and 5 meters and some have been known to live as long as 200 years. This endemic species begins to bear fruit around age 5, and reaches its maximum production capacity after 20 years. The root system extends to a considerable depth, which helps to protect against soil erosion and hold back encroachment by the Sahara Desert.

The tree bears flowers and fruit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*FLOWERS
The hermaphrodite flowers appears between May or June; they are greenish yellow, sometimes white,

*FRUIT
The fruit is an oval berry, the size and shape of a large olive, which contains a nut with one or two kernels,

*PRODUCING
One tree produces an average of 10kg of fruit per year.


An ancestral tradition

Between June and August, our family harvest the ripe fruit that has fallen onto the ground, and dry those several weeks in the sun. We retrieve the nut, deemed to be sixteen times stronger than hazelnuts, which we then crack between two stones in order to obtain the precious, oil-rich kernels.

 

A miraculous oil

Our oil, is very popular in the cosmetic industry, it is used by many laboratories in their ranges for skin, body and hair care, as well as massage products. In fact,

Argan oil's chemical composition gives it many cosmetics properties. Its content of oleic acid softens and soothes the skin while giving it shine, whereas its linoleic acid content, an essential fatty acid, gives it hydrating properties.