Our refined apricot kernel oil comes from apricot trees grown in smallholder plantations, mainly on slopes and plateaus, to avoid late frosts caused by cold air accumulating in the valleys. In the early years, the space between the trees is used to grow vegetables, cereals or even apple trees, which increases diversity, improves soil quality and increases resistance to pests and diseases. Various species of wild and honey bees pollinate the apricot trees in spring.

In July and August, the ripe apricots are harvested by hand or by machine. To protect the fruit from damage, cloth or plastic tarpaulins are placed under the trees. The apricots are then pre-dried in the sun for two to three days before the kernels are separated from the flesh by hand. The pulp is then dried further and sold as dried fruit.

The extracted apricot kernels are washed cold and crushed between two rollers to separate them from the shells. The shells are then used as fuel, while the almond-like kernels are either used directly in the food industry or processed for oil extraction. The oil is extracted by pressing with a mechanical expeller press, refined and filtered several times to remove natural residues. The resulting press cake is used as animal feed, which makes the process particularly sustainable.

Once the high-quality oil has found its way to Germany, it reaches our headquarters in Leonberg. There, the refined apricot kernel oil undergoes strict controls by our DIN ISO 17025 accredited laboratory to ensure that only the best quality is passed on to our customers.