The Making of Argan Oil
Perhaps you've heard of Argan oil? It is a greatly desired product in the cosmetics business, but the oil itself is only produced in a very remote and tiny part of Morocco, where the nut grows. It is still harvested and extracted by hand, in a centuries old technique.
In this photo, the women are set up in the traditional way. One woman breaks the hard covering of the nut by banging it against the rock. The paste is collected, and a second woman begins the process of extracting the oil. The third woman refines the oil collection where it can then be bottled.
“It takes up to three days of grinding for every woman to get one litre of Argan oil,” said Mina Ait Taleb, head of the Taitmatin cooperative.
This is the ONLY way this oil is produced!
Read below for more information:
"Just south of the busy city of Agadir lies the rural Chtouka Ait Baha region of Morocco. Despite its proximity to several spots along Morocco’s tourist trail, Chtouka Ait Baha’s empty desert mountainscapes are worlds away from the colourful, bustling streets of the country’s cities. However, the relatively remote area is home to the incredible Argan tree. A treasure of Morocco, the Argan tree not only provides one of the country’s most valuable exports, argan oil, but is also endemic to the region and only grows naturally in and around Morocco!
These drought- and heat-resistant trees have been cultivated for centuries. Local people living in these arid and semi-arid lands have created an incredible production system based on the Argan tree. These local communities make oil and other products from the argan trees, farm on the land around the trees, and rear goats who scale the short trees and eat argan nuts. For this reason, it is known as an agro (farming)- sylvo (trees)- pastoral (goats) system.
Argan products are a key source of income for communities in the area, and for centuries argan oil has been prepared at home by rural women in the argan grove areas using family recipes. The women break down the hard shells of the pits with a stone, and extract and chop the kernel, before adding some warm water to help extract the oil. The making of argan oil is also a social occasion for the women get together.
So what is argan used for?
Argan oil is the main product of the argan tree and perhaps its most well-known product globally. It is made from the nut of the fruit on the Argan tree and is used both in cooking, in a similar way to olive oil, and cosmetics, for nourishing both skin and hair. Extracting the oil is a lengthy business – in fact, 50 kilos of fruit are needed to produce just half a litre of oil, which is why argan’s market price is usually much higher than that of olive oil. Since the 1990s, when the food, cosmetic and therapeutic virtues of argan oil became more well known, this hidden treasure from the depths of Morocco has made waves on the international market too.
The argan tree also produces excellent quality wood and charcoal, which is highly valued throughout the region and has long supplied most of the big cities in Morocco."
The Making of Argan Oil
Perhaps you've heard of Argan oil? It is a greatly desired product in the cosmetics business, but the oil itself is only produced in a very remote and tiny part of Morocco, where the nut grows. It is still harvested and extracted by hand, in a centuries old technique.
In this photo, the women are set up in the traditional way. One woman breaks the hard covering of the nut by banging it against the rock. The paste is collected, and a second woman begins the process of extracting the oil. The third woman refines the oil collection where it can then be bottled.
“It takes up to three days of grinding for every woman to get one litre of Argan oil,” said Mina Ait Taleb, head of the Taitmatin cooperative.
This is the ONLY way this oil is produced!
Read below for more information:
"Just south of the busy city of Agadir lies the rural Chtouka Ait Baha region of Morocco. Despite its proximity to several spots along Morocco’s tourist trail, Chtouka Ait Baha’s empty desert mountainscapes are worlds away from the colourful, bustling streets of the country’s cities. However, the relatively remote area is home to the incredible Argan tree. A treasure of Morocco, the Argan tree not only provides one of the country’s most valuable exports, argan oil, but is also endemic to the region and only grows naturally in and around Morocco!
These drought- and heat-resistant trees have been cultivated for centuries. Local people living in these arid and semi-arid lands have created an incredible production system based on the Argan tree. These local communities make oil and other products from the argan trees, farm on the land around the trees, and rear goats who scale the short trees and eat argan nuts. For this reason, it is known as an agro (farming)- sylvo (trees)- pastoral (goats) system.
Argan products are a key source of income for communities in the area, and for centuries argan oil has been prepared at home by rural women in the argan grove areas using family recipes. The women break down the hard shells of the pits with a stone, and extract and chop the kernel, before adding some warm water to help extract the oil. The making of argan oil is also a social occasion for the women get together.
So what is argan used for?
Argan oil is the main product of the argan tree and perhaps its most well-known product globally. It is made from the nut of the fruit on the Argan tree and is used both in cooking, in a similar way to olive oil, and cosmetics, for nourishing both skin and hair. Extracting the oil is a lengthy business – in fact, 50 kilos of fruit are needed to produce just half a litre of oil, which is why argan’s market price is usually much higher than that of olive oil. Since the 1990s, when the food, cosmetic and therapeutic virtues of argan oil became more well known, this hidden treasure from the depths of Morocco has made waves on the international market too.
The argan tree also produces excellent quality wood and charcoal, which is highly valued throughout the region and has long supplied most of the big cities in Morocco."