What are cooperatives & what do they have to do with organic Argan oil?

Organic Argan oil cooperatives

What they are & why they are your safest boat when it comes to purchasing your organic Argan oil

Organic Argan oil (and Argan products in general) cooperatives are a form of social and organizational association.
These organic Argan oil cooperatives are often established with the aim to enable members to join their Argan productions.

This way they will be able to compete on a certain level in a specific market.
The cooperatives are often democratic-structured and can be seen as strategic for the commercialization of organic Argan oil products.

Organic Argan oil women-run cooperatives

In the sector of organic Argan oil and products, the first rural women-run cooperative has seen the light around 1998 in T´manar, (72 km south of Essaouira).

Consequently, T’manar has become the capital of the organic Argan oil products industry since then.

Later on, the number of cooperatives specifically established to empower the women of rural Morocco has grown dramatically into a network.

Organic Argan oil cooperatives
Women working in the organic Argan oil cooperatives

The network employs and guarantees an income source -in the frame of “fair trade”- to women from different neighboring villages. They are employed on a full-time as well as part-time basis.

This enables many families to afford health-care and basic education for their kids, and adherence to literacy programs for adults.

Amongst the primary goals of structuring the traditional production of organic Argan oil in the cooperatives is the raising of awareness about the Argan tree´s uppermost importance and the issues resulting from its deforestation among the native population.

Also, numerous governmental ambitious programs are set in place to encourage various community initiatives.

These include replanting and protecting the endangered Argan trees forest, and hence realizing a noteworthy step on the path of socioeconomic and environmental development.

Today many believe that most of the Argan oil is produced by cooperatives, which is not true.

Why?

The cooperatives’ share of the overall market production is larger than the former individual contribution, though.

But if you compare the quantities produced by the industrials using machines to the slow traditional production pace, it´s more than obvious that the latter can´t keep up the speed and thus the quantity.

Yet a fair amount of the organic Argan oil is produced by the different cooperatives who have proudly set up their own showrooms for displaying and selling their organic Argan oil products also on site.

Besides their primary goal through the cooperatives, the women are encouraged to use their precious knowledge to harvest the Argan fruit in an environmentally sound manner fulfilling their part in a larger sustainable development plan.

In terms of the so-called processes´ modernization, many attempts have failed as far as cracking the Argan nuts goes.

Many of the cooperatives adopted the new mechanical extracting methods.

Numerous other ones, though, remained committed to ancestral hand production (for the highest quality standard of organic Argan oil production) despite the high costs of this method as well as competition issues caused by private entrepreneurs.

Notwithstanding some initial difficulties to compete in big-scale markets, the cooperatives’ production of organic Argan oil is supporting and financially changing the lives of a large part of the population (estimated to date at around 3 million people) in all of the chief Argan oil-producing areas.

They start to discover the potential of the e-commercialization and take advantage of the support provided by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Research and Protection of the Argan Tree, as well as the technical support for the marketing of their organic Argan oil products provided by some international organizations.

This will help the cooperatives secure local and sustain International markets for their organic Argan oil products against the tremendous industrial cosmetic propaganda and the low-quality counterfeits, and cut-off products flooding many of these markets.

Besides the “new” genetically manipulated Argan trees, one of the major challenges these cooperatives are facing lies also in the dangerous factors -often wrapped under misleading terminologies like “modernization“.

This results in altering the ancestral but fundamental traditional and complicated extraction and processing techniques, and influencing directly the quality of the end product.

Why buying organic Argan oil from the cooperatives is the best buy for your bucks?

Pure Organic Argan Oil Directly From The Press
Buying organic Argan oil of the cooperatives is your best option.

Simply put: Forget about any biased organic Argan oil review if you really want to buy pure Argan oil!

Ask any connoisseur of Olive oil and they will tell you that the traditionally-gained olive oil is far better than the mechanically-produced one.

And that´s exactly the same for organic Argan oil.

Only a few of these oil promoters know about the real benefits of a traditionally hand-processed product.

Other than the fact that only the best Argania Spinosa kernels are chosen for the organic Argan oil production, and immediately handled after being extracted from the Argan nuts to eliminate their oxidization problem -as the quantities are relatively small and manageable, the traditional extraction method itself is key for preserving the full potential and ensuring the highest quality of the end product.

With that said, if you´re willing to buy pure and organic Argan oil, make sure you do it either at source or at sellers sourcing the oil directly from one of the local cooperatives on site.

This way, you support the intensive time-consuming labour of the women in the cooperatives while at the same time ensuring to get superior quality for your money eliminating the risk of buying a cut-off industrial product!

YouTube video

How Argan oil is made.

More on what to pay attention if you want to buy organic Argan oil.

60 comments

  • Tashneem

    I need to purchase argan oil and paste. Genuinr ones but online from you.
    Is it possible?

    • A

      Hi Tashneem,

      Thank you for your interest in our products.

      Sure you can purchase 100% pure and organic Argan oil via our online store. We deliver to more than 200 countries, so if your country is in one of them, you’re good to go 😉

      As to the Argan paste (I guess you mean the dried Argan dough), please drop us a message via our contact page and one of my colleagues will be happy to assist you further.

      Cheers!

  • Lola Koutsogeorgopoulou

    Hello we are visiting Morocco in February we would like to visit a farm for argan oil.
    Do you know any close to Marrakesh?

  • Josefine

    Hello,

    Do you guys sell Cactus seeds Oil or do you know somebody who does?

    • Rashmi Gupte

      I am from India and during my vacation visit to Morocco I bought argan oil bottle from a shop run by women’s cooperative store outlet. Do you think there is anyway to buy it which can be delivered to me in India

      • A

        Hi Rashmi,

        Thank you for your message.

        I’m not sure if the said cooperative where you bought your Argan oil offer online shopping or not. I’m afraid you’ll need to contact them and ask if they do and also if they deliver to India.

        Best 🙂

    • A

      Hi Josefine,

      Thank you for your comment.

      Please send a message via our contact page, so our support can assist you better and give you precise information 🙂

      Best,

      Amina

  • Hi,

    Can I get someone to get me a quote on buying Argan oil around 10-15 litres into the UK.

    Kind regards
    Karan

    • A

      Hi Karan,

      Thank you for your message.

      To your inquiry, sure thing: Just send us a note via our contact page and one of my colleagues at support will be happy to assist you 🙂

      Best,

  • Abdullahi

    More info 30litter of argan oil

    • A

      Hi,

      In case you didn’t receive the reply of my colleague from support this morning, please check your spam filter as her reply may very well have landed there 🙂

      Thanks.
      Amina

  • Aniso Abdullahi

    Am interesting argan oil from usa how much is 30litter of culinary and cosmetic
    argan oil

    • A

      Hi Aniso,

      Thank you for your comment.
      Please check your mailbox, as one of my colleagues at support processed your email inquiry this morning 🙂

      Best,
      Amina

  • Abdul Salem

    Hello
    I am interested in buying some pure argan oil also other argan oil products can you send me some pictures of your products with promotion and prices .

  • Emily Greene

    We are interested in using a responsibly sourced argan oil in our products. Can you point us in the rights direction of where to order some?

    • A

      Hi Emily,

      Thank you for your message and your interest in our products.

      I’ll kindly ask you to fill in the form on the following page so my colleagues can assist you better and give you precise information (If you look lower, you’ll see the form):

      https://www.arganfarm.com/argan-oil-wholesale/

      Regards,

      Amina

  • hello Dear
    i would like to purchase aragan oil from u as i am starting small business in this filled, how much do you charge for 10 letters?

  • Ritesh Agarwal

    I want to buy 1 litre of argan oil. Most of the product in India is blended. I want pure organic one for my hair. I am loosing a lot of hair and one of doctors recommended me this. The price is very important along with quality

    • A

      Hi Ritesh,

      Thank you for your comment.

      Indeed, it is becoming harder and harder to find a 100% pure product, not only in India, but also worldwide.
      If you want to inquire about our pricing, please make sure you contact our support, and my colleagues there will be glad to assist you further 🙂

      Cheers.

  • Umm Talal

    I am looking to get in touch with a co op I visited in Ourika Valley. Can you share some contact information?

    • Dianne Yearwood

      I’m interested in buying 2 litres of pure organic cold pressed argan oil for internal use. Would that be possible to buy and shipped to the UK.?

      • A

        Hi Dianne,

        Thank you for your comment and interest in Arganfarm products.

        I’ll kindly ask you to contact our support via the following page, and one of my colleagues will be happy to assist you with your inquiry 🙂

        Best,

    • A

      Hi Umm Talal,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      Do you have the name of the cooperative in question (as there are numerous coops in the area you mentioned!), so we can retrieve the contact information for you?

  • Four years ago I visited one of the Argan Oil co-ops run by widowed/divorced ladies, whilst travelling to Essouira. I bought some Argan oil for arthritis pain relief, which was very good. I would dearly love to purchase more but am wary of buying anywhere other than from Morocco and I would prefer to support these women. I wasn’t able to contact the co-op on their web ste. Can you please help. Thank you. Kind regards.

    • A

      Hi Rachel,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      Please share the website with us of the specific cooperative you wish to purchase your oil from, and we’ll gladly try to contact them to get their phone number for you.

      Blessings 🙂

  • I need a website to go to for ordering from a morrocan cooperative, please

  • Hi Amina ~ How long does cosmetic Argan oil last until it becomes rancid and can’t be used? And how can you tell? Bad smell?

    Thank you!

    • A

      Hi Lyn,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      To your question, if you purchased a fresh-pressed cosmetic Argan oil, then the shelf-life should be 24 months, provided you keep it far from direct heat and avoid air exposure (i.e. close the bottle after each use).

      And yes, once Argan oil’s shelf-life expires, it starts to smell rancid.

      I hope this helps.

      Cheers 🙂

  • Tinbite

    Hi
    Do you ship to East Africa ?
    Please state the name of Counties?

    • A

      Hi Tinbite,

      Yes we do ship to all African countries 🙂

      Cheers

  • Hi there! I was directed here from a comment you organization posted regarding dark bottle storage but I don’t seem to see any information about it in this article? I see that almost every article online says organic argan oil should be kept in a dark bottle, can you explain to me why that’s not necessary?

    Just trying to get to the bottom of this, I mean no disrespect. Would really appreciate further explanation, thanks!

    • A

      Hi CK,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      The short answer to your question would be: the assertion that Argan oil should be stored in dark bottles, is like any false rumors that gained credibility only by being repeated again & again, which makes it practically a “fact”!
      This is yet another clear example of the old “proof by assertion” tactic, and we, as humans, have became so lazy, that we don’t even bother requiring proof anymore, let alone think critically.

      Please feel free to read the reply on Jitka’s comment below for a more detailed reply 🙂

      Cheers.

  • During Aid al adha, for How long has the cooperatives holiday in Essaouira? Does anybody?

    • A

      Hi Musaab,

      Some close for a couple of days while others remain closed for up to a month, depending on how each cooperative operates.

      Cheers 🙂

  • Marzena Banks

    Please indicate the name of the Co-op. In the video, it sounded like “Marzena” ? Thank You

  • Do you know a women-run argan cooperative neat Telouet? I am interested in visiting it.

  • CHERYL TERRILL

    I just wanted to say Thank you for all of the information I have read. So many companies only want to make money and not care what is REALLY in their product and try to pass it off as the real stuff. I have heard many use regular cooking oil in their product and claim it to be REAL Argan Oil. It makes me sick! I know, I bought one of those brands. I was so delighted when I found your site. I’ve watched your video and read everything-twice! Now, I just have to wait for payday so I can order from you. Again, Thank you for restoring my faith in people.

    Cheryl

    • I live in Greece. Can i buy argan oil!
      Regards

      • A

        Hi Fokion,

        Thank you for your message and please excuse the delay in response as your comment landed in the spam filter.

        To your question, sure you can buy Argan oil via our store and have it delivered to you in Greece 🙂

        Best,

    • A

      Hi Cheryl,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      I’m glad you found the content of our website helpful and we are thankful that you took the time to read through all the information provided here.
      And sure, you welcome anytime 🙂

      All the best.
      Amina

  • medha srivastava

    Hi,

    Do you ship to India? I think I need this magic potion 🙂

    • A

      Hi Medha,

      Thank you for writing in.

      Yes we do ship to India (and 200+ other countries) 🙂

      Cheers!

  • Hi. Trying to find some good authentic cooperative produced Argan oil accessible for purchasing from USA. Thanks.

    • A

      Hi Maria,

      I am not sure to understand what you mean exactly in your comment, since all our Argan oil & products come directly from organic certified and traditional women-run Argan oil cooperatives, and which is accessible for purchasing to our clients worldwide (not only the US) through our ordering page.

      If you mean you need to purchase from another cooperative however, Im afraid there aren’t many cooperatives that offer their products directly online for online clients unfortunately.

      I hope this helps 🙂

      Kind regards.

  • Saadiyah Merchant

    Hi. . I am very interested in trying out Argan oil for my 7-year-old daughter’s extremely curly hair. 2 questions:
    1. Do you ship to India?
    2. Is it safe for kids?

    Thanks.

    • A

      Hi Saadiyah,

      Thank you stopping by.

      To your questions:

      1. Yes we do ship to India;
      2. Argan oil is good even for babies, as long as the kid / baby in question has no allergies against natural nut products.

      Cheers!

  • Hey there, I am going to Morocco in a few weeks from the UK and i’m interested in going to visit a few co operatives and buy some pure organic culinary argan oil. I was just wondering what co operatives you think are best? I will be hiring a car from Agadir and will be heading up to Essaouira and Marrakech so any co operatives in that area i’m happy to drive to. i know you said T’manar is the biggest and most popular one, which i will visit but if you could recommend a few others that would be greatly appreciated.

    Cheers Connor

    • A

      Hi Connor,

      Thanks for stopping by.

      There are dozens of real cooperatives on the road between Agadir & Essaouira, not only in T’manar but also around it.
      To make sure you go to an official & traditional organic Argan oil cooperative (and not a fake one with the word “cooperative” sticked on it), look for the following official governmental sign:

      Traditional Organic Argan Oil Cooperative

      Anything other than that isn’t an official cooperative, even if it is written on it.
      Please note that we are not in position to recommend any cooperative over another one, as ownership is often changing and we can’t take any recommendation responsibility.

      I hope this helps you further 🙂

      Cheers!

  • Kylie Pinto

    Hi,

    Since pure Argan oil can be consumed. Is it safe to consume your product or is it only for cosmetic purposes. Since I was told by a Moroccan friend that it can be used in salads and on bread as well. Thanks

  • I heard that the oil should be in a dark glass bottle in order to prevent the sun damage and turning oil rancid.

    • A
      Bader Eddine

      Hi Jitka,

      Thank you for stopping by.

      Here’s our take on the “dark-glass-bottles-are-better-for-argan-oil” topic:

      First of all, as you might have remarked, one of Arganfarm.com primary goals, is to provide authentic ancestral knowledge as well as only real information for our clients and readers. This is why we are very careful in adopting any position about the topic.

      In my opinion, the „dark bottle is better“ is one of the biggest fallacies spreading around about Argan oil nowadays. There’s no CONCRETE evidence known to us about what many folks are parroting out there, like pretending that dark packaging would protect the oil etc…

      While this might be true for chemically-prepared medicaments and solution etc… due to the un-natural substances contained therein, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s valid for oils as well.

      To the contrary, I have found an extensive Interview with a German doctor who talked exactly about evidence of the total opposite (if you understand German, I’d gladly share the link with you).

      He took the example of olive oil and stated that contrary to the rumors and misleading information claiming that olive oil should be kept in dark bottles, (some even pretend it should be kept in the fridge), many olive oil farmers in south Spain for example, are swearing on exposing the oil to the sun instead of hiding it from it.
      They claim it adds energy to it instead of stripping it away from it.

      Second, a wide crowd of those folks who pretend using some kind of packaging to protect Argan oil’s potent components, use Aluminum bottles.

      Here I won’t be able to tell you about ALL the dangers of Aluminum, but just in case you didn’t know, Aluminum is highly toxic and found (clinically) heavily responsible for many cancer kinds (i.e. beast cancer at females using antiperspirants containing it!) as well as other nasty illnesses. But people still fall for the fallacious marketing gags and believe it’s a “better” packaging solution.

      It was banned from home uses (cookware, for packaging etc…) after WWII, but then was sneakingly brought back to the markets after some years. And you’ll be frightened if you check all the stuff this poison is used for nowadays!

      Back to the dark bottles topic:

      After making a research for several months about this and similar other lies which are spread around, and after all the scary stuff we found and which suggests that the Argan oil business unfortunately turned into a „mafia-like“ business, we were wondering what are the real reasons behind this kind of humbug and we found no solid evidence proving the “dark bottle is better” claims!

      While many people start to wake up, others unfortunately still fall for this kind of fairytales.

      Important: we don’t pretend to have the supreme knowledge about Argan oil. We’re ready to change not only our packaging but also our conviction but only for hard evidence.

      That being said, here’s another perspective to see the whole thing from: I’d rather buy FRESH-PRESSED Argan oil with its full shelf-life in a clear transparent bottle, since it won’t last for the 24 months anyway (+ at least I know what I’m getting for my bucks!!), than buying something in a dark bottle, which I have refill in another transparent one if I want to check what I got (since you can’t check the real color of Argan oil only from few drops on your skin/hand etc..)!

      I hope I could answer your question as it should be. Please bear in mind that this is a far broader topic than it seems – so if you have any further questions let me know 🙂

      Regards,
      Bader

  • bolababz

    I take it that you sell the authentic argan oil. I need it for personal use specifically for my hair. Do you deliver to Canada? How much please?and thanks…

    • A
      Bader Eddine

      Hi Bolababz,

      We do sell ONLY 100% pure and organic Argan oil (We’re based in the source of Argan oil!).
      Yes, we do deliver to Canada. The shipping fees are only 8.49 USD, regardless of how many items you purchase.

      Here’s where you can find our offer:

      https://www.arganfarm.com/buy-argan-oil/

      Regards,
      Bader

      • bolababz

        Thanks for the prompt response. However, i noticed yours says cosmetic argan oil…which according to my research could mean other things mixed. The authetic should just say 100% Argan oil and not even 100% pure organic oil. People have paid 60dollars yet it is not the real stuff. I am a new and novice yet highly interested in it as i just found out about it yesterday at a conference. Do you infact have and sell 100% Argan oil? For a first time user, i am sure you understand the need to make sure i get the real stuff since apparently its in high demand and limited availability even on the soil of morrocco where you are.

        • A
          Bader Eddine

          You’re welcome.

          Excuse my honesty, but if you believe (according to your research) that the term “cosmetic” necessarily implies that cosmetic Argan oil contains other “stuff”, then I must disappoint you: you researched in the wrong spot!

          If you are really keen on learning authentic information about Argan oil, then I highly suggest you choose a reliable source of information (starting from Arganfarm.com), to avoid falling for the misleading fluff and the marketing gags!

          Here is the definition of the word “cosmetic” in English: [of, relating to, or making for beauty especially of the complexion : beautifying : used or done in order to improve a person’s appearance : done in order to make something look better] etc..

          Furthermore, let me give you a brief definition of the only 2 grades of genuine Argan oil existing (if anyone, tells you anything else apart from this, you should be highly alarmed!):

          – The culinary grade: the kernels are roasted before being pressed.
          – The cosmetic grade: the kernels are pressed raw (natural, without any roasting).

          You can hear it directly from one of the women who are producing Argan oil on a daily business since decades + the illustration at the middle of the video that explains it all in a simple way:

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX2cKzJeKNA

          We offer both of these Argan oil versions, and both (the culinary as well as the cosmetic one) are:

          – 100% Pure
          – 100% Organic
          – NOT diluted
          – NOT deodorized
          – NOT blended, neither with water nor with any other substances
          – Neither from Animals (i.e. goats) nor tested on them

          We completely understand your concern about buying 100% pure & organic Argan oil and suggest that you take your time to learn about it as it should be to make sure, that it’s also the right thing for your needs, before placing your order anywhere.

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