Why We Import Ethiopian Seeds and Press Them Ourselves

We aren't a giant corporate brand, and we aren't some generic Amazon storefront. We just press pure black seed oil, one small batch at a time, right here in our workshop in Alicante, Spain. 

A lot of the black seed oil you buy online has lost its natural strength before it ever reaches your door.

We set up our workshop to do things a bit differently. Here is the simple, honest reason why we source our own seeds from Ethiopia and press them ourselves.

From a pure profit-margin perspective, we are probably stupid and suck at doing business.

If our goal was just to make the easiest, most profitable business possible, we would do what everyone else does. But we chose the hard way. Here is why.

1. Why Import Seeds, Not Bulk Oil ?

We import raw seeds so we can own the entire process. It is the only way we can fine-tune the press, control the exact temperature, and stay completely hands-on from start to finish. We do it for one simple reason: to make a product that is the absolute best to our abilities. 

Most brands buy pre-pressed oil that gets shipped in plastic containers. You have no idea how long it sits in those totes, or if it gets bounced around to yet another third-party facility just to be bottled. They lose all control over the timeline. We don’t do that. We only press what we need based on real demand, to make sure our customers get the freshest oil possible.

2. Logistically, this is a terrible business model

From a standard business perspective, doing it this way makes zero sense. If we wanted an easy, highly profitable company, we would just buy pre-made bulk oil. Logistically and financially, our setup is honestly pretty stupid. Here is why:

• The Weight Penalty: Black seeds only yield about 30% of their weight in oil. To get one liter of our finished oil, we have to air-ship about 4kg of raw seeds. Why do we fly them at premium rates instead of using cheaper ocean containers? Because shipping out of Addis Ababa by sea is an all-or-nothing game. There are no options to ship partial container loads (LCL). You either buy a whole container which is a near six-figure commitment. We just haven't grown to that level yet

• The Import & Health Clearance Headache: Processed oil is great for standard logistics. It’s stable, clean, and gets waved through borders with almost zero friction. But we choose to import live seeds instead and it triggers a massive regulatory bottleneck. Border health inspectors must clear it first. That means biosecurity checks, lab testing, and unpredictable airport delays on every single shipment. Every day the cargo sits waiting, we pay airport storage fees. Don't just take our word for it. Message us for HS codes and verify the regulatory data yourself.

P.S. The photo above isn't pretty. We know. But we are here to press exceptional oil, not create marketing narratives.

P.P.S. Since the Air Waybill (AWB) number is right there on the label, you're welcome to look it up