CAPABILITY · BOTANICAL SOURCING
Moroccan botanicals, sourced where they grow
Argan kernels from the argan forest around Agadir, prickly pear seeds from the south, ghassoul from the Atlas, rose from Kelaat M’Gouna, orange blossom from the north. SudBio buys its raw materials in Morocco, from cooperatives and growers it knows, lot by lot, and can tell you where each one came from.
Why the source decides the product
An argan oil is only as good as the kernels it was pressed from, and the kernels depend on the harvest, the drying, the storage and the cooperative’s hand-sorting. The same is true of prickly pear seed oil, where a few kilos of seed yield a litre, and of ghassoul, whose grade depends on the seam it was quarried from. Sourcing is therefore not purchasing: it is the first step of quality.
SudBio, founded in 2007 and based in Casablanca, has bought its botanicals in Morocco ever since, in the regions where they grow. We work with women’s argan cooperatives of the Souss, with prickly pear growers of the south, with ghassoul quarries of the Middle Atlas and with rose and orange-blossom distillers. Every lot is received against a specification, sampled and recorded before it enters production.
For partners this means an ingredient with a known origin, a certificate of analysis per lot, organic-certified lots where the supply chain allows it, and the documentation an importer or a brand needs to make its own claims honestly.
How a raw material is accepted
Known suppliers
We buy from cooperatives, growers and distillers we visit, under supply agreements that state the grade, the harvest and the handling. New suppliers are qualified with samples and a first controlled lot before they enter the list.
Reception and sampling
Every delivery is checked against its specification on arrival — identity, appearance, moisture, foreign matter — sampled, and quarantined until the laboratory releases it.
Certificates of analysis
Each lot is analysed for the parameters that matter to the material: acidity, peroxide value and fatty-acid profile for oils; microbiology where relevant. The certificate follows the lot into production and onto your documents.
Organic lots
Where the supply chain is certified, lots are bought and kept as organic, with the certificates travelling with them, so a certified product can be made from them.
Traceability
Supplier, lot, date and certificate are recorded for every raw material and linked to every batch made from it, so a finished product can be traced back to its origin.
Quality assuranceFROM THE FIELD TO THE STORE ROOM
Five steps
- 01 ORIGIN Cooperatives and growers in the region the plant comes from.
- 02 SPECIFICATION Grade, harvest, handling agreed in writing.
- 03 RECEPTION Checked, sampled, quarantined.
- 04 ANALYSIS Certificate of analysis per lot.
- 05 RELEASE Into production, traced to the batch.
Sourcing — questions partners ask
Where does your argan oil come from?
From the argan forest of south-west Morocco, around Agadir and Essaouira — the only place the tree grows. The kernels are bought from cooperatives of the Souss and pressed by us.
Can you supply certified organic raw materials?
Yes, for the materials whose supply chain is certified. The lot’s organic certificate travels with it and is stated on the quote.
Do you sell raw materials on their own, or only finished products?
Both. Botanical oils, hydrosols, ghassoul and black soap are supplied in bulk to formulators and repackers; see the export and wholesale pages.
What documents come with a raw material?
A certificate of analysis for the lot, a technical data sheet, a safety data sheet, and the organic certificate when the lot is certified.
Can I trace a finished product back to its ingredients?
Yes. Every batch is linked to the raw-material lots it was made from, with their suppliers and certificates.