A decision to diversify led Earthoil to move its operations to Kenya in 2002 to develop exciting opportunities in sourcing and extracting pressed seed oils (lipids). Through its established contacts with cosmetics formulators, the lipid field represented for Earthoil a product area complementary to its established essential oils range.
In particular Earthoil wanted to establish and pursue a unique range of African and fruit seed oils. Of these oils the oil with immediate appeal to the market was papaya seed oil.
Armed with a sense of the market development opportunities for these African and fruit seed oils, and encouraged by the interest of formulators, Earthoil took delivery of two screw presses, established a factory in a Nairobi warehouse, and commenced operations to establish the supply of papaya seed oil.
The papaya fruit (pawpaw) – is not indigenous to Africa, but it has become “naturalised” in that country, and, and is very widely grown by small farmers in many parts of Africa. The project to develop papaya seed oil opened an opportunity to link market opportunities in the First World with production capabilities in under-developed countries. By aiding the development of their agriculture and providing a new market outlet, this project benefits indigenous farmers and their families.
The first difficulty encountered was the lack of any centralised collection point for fruit or seed. Papaya is a highly perishable fruit, and it is principally sold in fruit markets the length and breadth of the country – to interpose a system of collecting and preparing the seed was a major exercise in logistics.
Little by little those problems have been tackled and resolved. Today the collection of papaya seed extends into Uganda and the Congo, as well as Kenya. Farmers growing papaya as a source of papain production now make up the greatest part of the supply source (papain is an enzyme extracted from the sap exuded by green papaya fruit). Separation of the seed from the fruit after papain collection has given hundreds of small farmers a second income source, but has been a steep learning experience for those farmers, and for Earthoil.
Standard procedures established call for the speedy washing and drying of the separated seed, and its packing for transport at each farm. Following collection, and when assembled for transport, samples of the seed are taken for testing. Once these checks have been completed, the seed is transported to Earthoil’s factory for the extraction of the seed oil.
At the Earthoil factory, the seed is cleaned and further dried - moisture levels are monitored until the optimum condition has been achieved. The seed passes to the presses, is “cold-pressed', and the extracted oil is filtered and packed.
Every step in this process has been identified and developed by Earthoil – and Earthoil is very proud of the experience it has gained in developing the process, and in meeting the demands of its clients for the production of an oil of high quality.
Earthoil now has the experience to produce many seed oils in Africa and the papaya project was instrumental in achieving this. Earthoil’s range of indigenous and other seed oils which can be pressed at our facilities in Kenya is rapidly growing and Earthoil is set to become a major producer of unique vegetable and seed oils.
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