Have you ever wondered where your ingredients come from? Mused on the provenance of your oils? Here is some wonderful information on where we get our oils at http://www.kismetpotions.com/
We specialize in love potions here at kismetpotions.com. We thought it would be nice if you knew where the beautiful essentials and absolutes come from. Here is a wonderful article from the coop in South Africa that we get many of our oils from. We know you will enjoy! And, as always, we welcome any comments and questions!
Andrew is a typical supplier of organic essential oils to the coop. On a small farm, near the Southern tip of Africa, Andrew grows Roses, Rose Geraniums and Tea Tree, for the essential oil market. Five years ago, on 740 ha of beautiful undeveloped land set against mountain slopes with a view out over the plains to the Indian Ocean, Andrew and his wife set up a makeshift cabin – where they are living while they build a home of their own – and started from nothing.
It was thanks to a guarantee from the coop that they would buy, at a fixed price, any organic essential oils that he could produce, that Andrew was able to raise funding to buy his farm. So far, with the help of only a few permanent assistants and occasionally bringing in a team of seasonal workers, Andrew and his family have planted on 10 ha of land. With the harvests finally bringing in an income, the family will be planting another 20 ha over the next two years.
With ongoing support from the coop such as advisory services and the supply of equipment, Andrew has weathered a major setback, when a fungal infection (one of the risks of organic farming) wiped out their first Buchu crop. Replacing the Buchu with Tea Tree has brought success, along with a thriving yield of Roses and Rose Geraniums. Andrew produces his own certified organic oils, using distilling equipment supplied by the coop. Their oil is delivered in bulk, from where it is distributed to the export market.
The oil stills on Andrew’s farm are wood-fired, relying on a plentiful of supply of non-indigenous Black Wattle trees that grow on the farm. Harvesting the Black Wattle trees for firewood fortunately complies with local environmental measures to eradicate this water-hungry parasite plant from the natural habitat of the Western Cape.
The undeveloped agricultural land in Africa has a vast potential to bring economic benefits to the communities that live there. It is thanks to market demands for essential oils, and the facilitation by the coop, that an enterprise like Andrew’s can be established, providing jobs to several workers, who in turn support extended families. Andrew says that farmers in the area have a responsibility to become involved in the social upliftment of the surrounding communities, starting with decent wages and fringe benefits, a responsibility to which Andrew is fully committed. Andrew also has staff retention policies such as paying for the education of their employees' children.
The full credit for the success of this venture has to go to the vision and tenacity of Andrew, along with the technical and market support from the coop. In an environment where government incentives for new farming initiatives are still underdeveloped and restricted to certain target groups, it is the pioneering spirit of small farmers like Andrew that is contributing to the economic empowerment of Africa.
We specialize in love potions here at kismetpotions.com. We thought it would be nice if you knew where the beautiful essentials and absolutes come from. Here is a wonderful article from the coop in South Africa that we get many of our oils from. We know you will enjoy! And, as always, we welcome any comments and questions!
Andrew is a typical supplier of organic essential oils to the coop. On a small farm, near the Southern tip of Africa, Andrew grows Roses, Rose Geraniums and Tea Tree, for the essential oil market. Five years ago, on 740 ha of beautiful undeveloped land set against mountain slopes with a view out over the plains to the Indian Ocean, Andrew and his wife set up a makeshift cabin – where they are living while they build a home of their own – and started from nothing.
It was thanks to a guarantee from the coop that they would buy, at a fixed price, any organic essential oils that he could produce, that Andrew was able to raise funding to buy his farm. So far, with the help of only a few permanent assistants and occasionally bringing in a team of seasonal workers, Andrew and his family have planted on 10 ha of land. With the harvests finally bringing in an income, the family will be planting another 20 ha over the next two years.
With ongoing support from the coop such as advisory services and the supply of equipment, Andrew has weathered a major setback, when a fungal infection (one of the risks of organic farming) wiped out their first Buchu crop. Replacing the Buchu with Tea Tree has brought success, along with a thriving yield of Roses and Rose Geraniums. Andrew produces his own certified organic oils, using distilling equipment supplied by the coop. Their oil is delivered in bulk, from where it is distributed to the export market.
The oil stills on Andrew’s farm are wood-fired, relying on a plentiful of supply of non-indigenous Black Wattle trees that grow on the farm. Harvesting the Black Wattle trees for firewood fortunately complies with local environmental measures to eradicate this water-hungry parasite plant from the natural habitat of the Western Cape.
The undeveloped agricultural land in Africa has a vast potential to bring economic benefits to the communities that live there. It is thanks to market demands for essential oils, and the facilitation by the coop, that an enterprise like Andrew’s can be established, providing jobs to several workers, who in turn support extended families. Andrew says that farmers in the area have a responsibility to become involved in the social upliftment of the surrounding communities, starting with decent wages and fringe benefits, a responsibility to which Andrew is fully committed. Andrew also has staff retention policies such as paying for the education of their employees' children.
The full credit for the success of this venture has to go to the vision and tenacity of Andrew, along with the technical and market support from the coop. In an environment where government incentives for new farming initiatives are still underdeveloped and restricted to certain target groups, it is the pioneering spirit of small farmers like Andrew that is contributing to the economic empowerment of Africa.
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