Market Report for organic oils and fats, macerates

Apricot kernel oil, cold pressed, organic
We currently have a complete batch of our own production with raw material origin Uzbekistan in stock. We also expect a good new Uzbek harvest in 2023.
After the strong earthquake in Turkey and Syria at the beginning of February, the clean-up work in Malatya is in full swing, but of course there is some uncertainty about the current prices.

Argan oil, refined & cold-pressed, organic
Price development for argan nuts in Morocco is still very volatile, and the outlook for this year's harvest is moderate. We currently have freshly produced refined argan oil in stock and new cold-pressed argan oil has just arrived.

Arnica Macerate Dry, organic & COS
Extremely tight situation of arnica blossoms dried, organic. Almost the entire last year's harvest is sold out. Alternatively, we can offer dry arnica macerate, COS, organic (99.5 % organic) from our own fresh maceration.

Avocado oil, refined & cold pressed, organic
At the beginning of March, the new harvest season for avocado oil has started again in Kenya. The season for harvesting lasts until October and it is expected that the harvest will be good.

Babassu oil, refined, organic
Raw babassu oil is mainly sold on the markets in the USA and Asia. Orders have been firmed up, so more price changes are expected until December for the raw material and therefore also for our refined babassu oil. Lead time will remain the biggest challenge so we recommend early demand planning.

Borage seed oil, cold pressed, organic
After the 2022 harvests, prices are now stable for the time being but at a high level. There is enough seed and raw material to meet demand.

Chia oil, cold pressed, organic // Chia flour, organic
We currently have a new pressing of chia seed origin Paraguay in production.

Safflower oil, cold pressed, organic
Prices are stable to slightly rising, and fresh pressing from Kazakh safflower seeds is also on the rise. Statements on the new harvest are still too early.
Fava bean protein, organic
Through our partner from Scandinavia we have large quantities of excellent quality with a protein content of 50% in stock.
Glycerine vegetable, organic
Due to the problem/recognition of the organic guidelines of Apeda by the EU Commission and the loss of accreditation of several organic inspection bodies in India, many farms had to go through a new certification. This took time and also for new imports a lead/waiting time for the approval of the goods by the new inspection bodies is to be expected. We currently have goods promptly available and the next container on its way.
Hazelnut oil, cold pressed, organic
Currently a difficult market, although hazelnuts are mainly grown in the north and not in the south of Turkey, where the earthquake hit particularly hard, a domino effect is to be expected. In addition, the frost of the last few weeks has had an impact on the fields and plants. The expectation of lower volumes is already affecting current prices, as farmers prefer not to sell the current crop - hoping to increase current prices. Until this has an impact on market prices, we are currently holding steady on smaller volumes.
Cocoa butter, deodorised & raw, organic
Currently, prices on the cocoa exchange are extremely high. We have sufficient quantities of raw cacao butter in stock and our cacao butter chips in deodorised quality are also promptly available, but we must expect a price increase in the near future.
Coconut fat, refined & virgin, organic
Availability of coconut fat has further stabilised and we can deliver promptly.
Pumpkin protein 60, roasted & unroasted, organic
High quality roasted pumpkin protein 60 from Austria available.
Stable and steady availability of sufficient quantity and also excellent quality of unroasted pumpkin protein 60 from Chinese raw material available.
Marula oil, cold pressed, organic
Demand for Marula oil is significantly higher than last year, especially from the USA. Crop prospects are good and Marula oil is gaining attention overall.

Almond oil, cold pressed, organic / Almond protein, organic
While 2023 began with excessively warm weather and fears of an early start to flowering, night frosts and cold temperatures have allayed concerns. As these cold conditions give way to milder weather in the coming weeks, the different varieties should gradually enter flowering. The bad news, however, is that the weather has been too dry in recent months, which will certainly affect the harvest.
Quick side note: Spanish President Sanchez has signed an almond export contract with China (50,000 MT by 2025). How this will affect the future almond market remains to be seen. We will keep you informed.

MCT oil, organic
We receive goods by direct import from our long-standing supplier in India. In 2022 we were able to see for ourselves the conditions on site and visit the refining plant.

Evening primrose oil, refined & cold pressed, organic
The same picture as with borage oil. Here, too, prices are stable but at a higher level.
Olive oil, extra virgin & lampante & deodorised, organic
We visited our long-time supplier only last autumn. Unfortunately, the situation is still very tense due to the extreme drought and the lack of rain in Spain. There is a very large drop in harvests in the entire Mediterranean region in 2022. This can be seen above all in the size of the olives, which are only half as big as the year before. This also results in a lower pressing yield and, of course, differences in quality. The current situation is similar to that in 2022, with unusually high temperatures and lack of rain. A price increase must be expected in Q2.

Castor oil, cold pressed, organic
We have commodity promptly available and the current crop of organic castor seeds is very good.
Sunflower oil, LO & HO, refined & cold-pressed, organic / Heliaflor® sunflower protein 45 and 55, organic
The EU sunflower seed market is groaning under the weight of imports from Ukraine. Bulgarian traders had speculated some time ago that prices would rise again. However, the high supply and the simultaneous slump in demand prevented this.
High stocks at many companies are causing the price to fall; many companies still have old stocks and are trying to get rid of them now. Low prices are offered to get rid of stocks and generate more cash flow. For this reason, prices for sun have fallen sharply in recent months. Moreover, it is difficult to predict how the market will develop in future.
As far as the new harvest is concerned, it is still too early to make a statement. Sunflower seeds have been sown in Ukraine, which is a good sign. Nevertheless, we have to wait and see what happens, many things can still influence the harvest.
Sesame oil, refined & cold-pressed, organic
After shortages in India (due to bad weather conditions) and in most African countries (also due to logistical problems, political instability (Sudan) and civil war (Ethiopia)), sesame prices have skyrocketed since November last year. Although prices are still firm these days, we have seen some upward and downward price corrections in recent weeks. Prices fell in recent weeks due to the expected good Indian summer crop (the area sown was larger than last year) and due to lower demand from China than expected (China is quite well positioned and its economy is still lagging somewhat due to previous covid lockdowns), but this was recently followed by a price increase again due to speculation of a smaller summer crop. This is due to the rains in India, which have resulted in an estimated 10-15% damage rate.
In South America, the 2022 crop has been used up and Paraguay was the first country to start the 2023 crop in March. Good volumes are expected. Harvests in Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil will start later.

Shea butter, refined & raw & nilotica, organic
Problems with shea butter quality are directly related to climate change: problems such as heavy rain, drought, rising temperatures, floods and strong winds lead to crop failure. Lack of water contributes to poorer quality. Poor, i.e. humid, storage of shea nuts reduces quality, and if fewer shea nuts are available overall, poorer quality shea nuts are processed.
This applies to all origins, whether Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast or Ghana. In general, one can say that the qualities are impeccable. Even if the raw shea butter is not as sensory "soft" as usual.
The FFA values (free fatty acids) are consistently higher. This is why many batches are used directly for refining, which results in higher losses.
The goods you receive from us are of course controlled according to our high standards and you can rely on the usual high quality. Due to the very strong existing value chains, we can deliver without any problems.

Grape seed oil, cold pressed, organic
Excellent quality and sufficient quantity from our long-time supplier from Austria in prospect. We have also already secured quantities from a new harvest.