ORGANIC Palm Oil

Sustainable, fair and organic. Naturland Fair palm oil has nothing to do with conventional palm oil, which is produced for industrial purposes and for which valuable rainforests are cleared. On the contrary, with our partner project Serendipalm in Ghana, we support local farming families and promote sustainable palm oil cultivation without the disastrous effects on people, animals and the environment.

The Serendipalm Project

The difference between Serendipalm's palm oil production and that of its major competitors begins on the plantations. While large producers grow oil palms in monoculture plantations, often clearing forest, Serendipalm only processes palm fruit from more than 600 local organic smallholders in Asuom and the surrounding area. Fair payment enables conversion to organic plantations. This helps to continually improve soil fertility and yields. The smallholders' typical fields are often only two to three hectares, much smaller than conventional plantations of 10,000 hectares or more. Large producers process the palm fruit in central oil mills that are poorly integrated into local communities, often with negative and globally criticised impacts on people, animals and the environment.

The oil mill in Asuom uses traditional and simple production processes that require a lot of manual labour, creating a correspondingly large number of jobs. In total, more than 250 people work at the mill. The Serendipalm project currently produces almost 30 tonnes of crude palm oil per week, a fraction of the 500 to 1000 tonnes produced by large factories. However, we believe that small is often better and Serendipalm's philosophy of fair and environmentally friendly production allows for strong community involvement. This has a positive impact on the Asuom district. This is not something that large palm oil producers can usually achieve, despite the good intentions of many.

Serendipalms' success shows that good, fair trade and organic palm oil is possible. We at Ölmühle Solling are delighted that there are projects around the world producing sustainable palm oil.

Red palm oil in the kitchen

Untreated palm oil is organically produced and its importance in a balanced diet is often underestimated. It is a valuable source of vitamins A and E and has become an integral part of African and Asian cuisine.

A noticeable difference from our previous EC Organic palm oil is the slightly stronger smell and taste. In the EC organic quality, the palm oil was filtered before bottling; in our Naturland Fair palm oil, we have omitted this step in order to be able to offer a virgin product with all the ingredients that make up the fatty acid spectrum. Palm oil can be heated to high temperatures and is ideal for steaming, roasting and frying, as well as a base for savoury spreads.

Against environmental degradation and agro-industrial agriculture

The oil palm is one of the world's most important crops. Conventional cultivation in monocultures, often involving the clearing of rainforest, has rightly led to criticism of this type of palm oil production. Especially in Southeast Asia and Africa (Rwanda, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines), large areas of forest are still being cleared to make way for new and larger palm plantations. This destroys the habitats of many animal and plant species. We do not support this type of agro-industrial production. And: We condemn the use of food for energy production, be it maize, cereals or oilseeds.

Organic palm oil as a natural food

Palm oil is not an "industrial commodity", but an original and valuable food with a centuries-old tradition in the kitchens of Africa and Asia. In keeping with this tradition, Ölmühle Solling offers you untreated palm oil, carefully extracted from the fully ripe flesh of the oil palm. It is characterised by its natural red-orange colour and characteristic taste. It is interesting for a balanced diet because it is rich in carotenoids (precursors of vitamin A) and tocotrienols (vitamin E).

Ideal for frying, baking and spreading on bread.