A growing farmer coalition in India impacts local communities
Before distilling the Sandalwood, the bark is peeled back.
“By your continued business we are trying to improve our lives along with passing the benefits to farmers, labourers and others.”
- Sanjay, Founder of our India farm partnership
One of the richest sources of biodiversity in the world, India is home to a multitude of different plant species. While a variety of our oils are sourced from India, five originate from a coalition of farmers connected to the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) – a research institution that studies the healing benefits of herbal medicines and essential oils.
The coalition began with the farmer of our East Indian Sandalwood essential oil, who we partnered with three years ago. Since our partnership began, what was once a small family operation has expanded considerably. In the past year alone, this farm has grown approximately 2000 new Sandalwood trees. No small feat, this accomplishment came after hiring many new employees, in turn creating a sustainable income for dozens of families.
Out of the great success our partner farm achieved, they decided to partner with other farmers to help improve the lives of those who shared a common goal – to generate high quality crops for the production of therapeutic essential oils. The Sandalwood farm has since partnered with 53 other farms, including the growers of our Lemongrass, Indian Peppermint, Palmarosa and Vetiver oils. In fact, it’s through our Sandalwood partner farm that we became acquainted with these additional farms.
All four of these latter farms were small, just as the Sandalwood farm once was. In an act of giving back, the Sandalwood farm became a mentor to these other farmers, providing education on farming techniques, support and even resources like crops and stills, used to steam distill essential oils. They currently provide access to career training for the employees of their farm and partner farms.
The owner of our East Indian Sandalwood farm has told us, “By your continued business we are trying to improve our lives along with passing the benefits to farmers, labourers and others.” We feel blessed to partner with farms like these, who not only share our same passion for quality botanicals, but whose mission is to better the lives of those around them.
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Ethical, fair sourcing -
GC/MS tested -
Vegan & cruelty-free -
Eco-conscious practices
Ethical, fair sourcing
GC/MS tested
Vegan & cruelty-free
Eco-conscious practices
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We partner with passionate experts.
Our top-quality oils are a reflection of the hard work and expertise of our partner farms and distilleries. When sourcing our oils, we consider factors that make for optimal crops and therefore, premium oils. These factors include the altitude at which plants are grown, pH and nutrients of soil, rainfall and water quality, whether the oil is native to the country it’s grown in and more. We ensure that those we partner with are experts in these areas and that they provide consistently high-quality products.
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We support farms who put people first.
All of our essential oils must come from farms that value human life over profit. This means that workers must be adults, paid fairly and on time and have safe, healthy working conditions. Our farming partners must also prioritize the environment and sustainability. A sustainable farm is one whose crops are not being over-exhausted, but rather new crops are grown at a rate that is able to meet the demand. We also ensure that farms we choose to work with are not pressured to rush harvesting or sacrifice the quality of crops at any point, allowing farmers time to catch up and maintain the viability of their crops.
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We ensure utmost quality through rigorous testing.
We then measure the quality and purity of our products by performing a series of tests. These include organoleptic, refractive index, specific gravity and GC/MS testing through a third-party, independent lab. After these tests are performed, they are then analyzed by expert essential oil chemists and our in-house aromatherapists. It’s through these analyses that we’re able to put farms and distilleries to the test, ensuring that their product is of the highest quality available and that no additives such as synthetics, fillers, isolates, pesticides and preservatives have been added.
Partnership includes
54 Farms
Crops harvested
Sandalwood- East Indian
Lemongrass
Peppermint- Indian
Palmarosa
Vetiver
India
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The farmers head up to the Sandalwood trees.
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Sandip, one of the distillers, standing near the farm’s Sandalwood groves.
