Our transparent supply chain
How jojoba oil is made: From farm to face, from seed to oil
For us, sustainability and transparency go hand in hand. That’s why we have built a traceable and stable supply chain that leads from our jojoba farms in Peru to our modern oil mill in Panama and then all the way to you.
Step 1: Cultivation
Located in the coastal desert of Peru, southeast of Lima, we grow jojoba plants on an area of 1000 ha. From more than 3,000 jojoba varieties we have selected seven high-quality varieties over the past years. We cultivate the seedlings on our farms for several months and only then do we bring them out on the fields.
Step 2: Plantation
The evergreen jojoba shrubs, which grow up to 3m high, are planted like hedges in several rows. The first harvest can only take place after 3-5 years. The resilient jojoba plants need neither pesticides nor fungicides or herbicides in the dry desert climate.
Step 3: Harvesting
Harvesting takes place from January to May. Each full-grown plant produces about 1,000 nuts. During harvest, the jojoba nuts are shaken from the trees and gathered by hand.
Step 4: Drying
After cleaning and selecting the jojoba nuts are dried by the sun in hall-like tents for a few days and finally packed in large bundles.
Step 5: Shipping to Panama
The jojoba nuts are then transported by container ship in 10 days to our production site in Panama. Our modern oil mill is located in Panama since 2014. 2018 we moved into a new state of art factory Panapark Freezone in Panama City.
Step 6: Oil Pressing
Our employees in Panama check the seeds again before pressing the jojoba nuts with screw presses. Approximately one kilogram of jojoba nuts is needed for half a litre of oil. The temperatures are constantly controlled to ensure gentle cold pressing. The pressing process takes about 30 minutes, filtering 45 minutes. At the end the golden-yellow jojoba oil flows out of the filter.
To ensure the high quality of the oil, it is filtered several times to remove any residual plant matter. All filters and containers used pass ISO norms and are approved for use in the food industry. Since no other oils are pressed in the mill, there is no risk of contamination.
Step 7 Packaging
Finally, the Jojoba oil is filled and packed in barrels for transport. We always use new containers for the packaging. All our lots are numbered and fully traceable. The quality of each lot is controlled in the processing and further checked by an independent laboratory.
Step 8: Shipping to you
And it’s a wrap! Thanks to the convenient location in Panama, our jojoba oil can be shipped quickly and reliably worldwide to both the Pacific and the Atlantic.