Ethical Sourcing Rosemary

In ancient Greece and Rome, rosemary was a plant both venerated and used daily. It was an important medicinal plant and also used to adorn both gods and humans in ceremonial or sacred rituals. In the Middle Ages, its essential oil was believed to have powerful properties. Rosemary asserts itself with both heat and cold. It is refreshing, fortifying and stimulating.  Oil of rosemary is used in many Weleda body and hair care products and is also used in medicines. 

The area around Ademuz in Spain has the perfect climate conditions for the cultivation of rosemary, lavender and other aromatic plants. In winter, it is cold, in summer hot and dry.

Here, Blas Aparicio operates the company Ecoaramuz, which specializes in the ecological cultivation of aromatic plants as well as the wild collection of rosemary. The company produces essential oils for Weleda in its own drying and distillation plant, about 5 miles away in a secluded mountain valley.

In the productive growing months of summer, Blas Aparicio takes wild-collected leaves and twigs, by road, to the processing plant, where he empties the entire truckload into the steam boiler. An hour later, everything is imbued with the aroma of rosemary, as the essential oil separates from the vapour by distillation. A great deal of effort and rosemary makes this all happen: 1,765 pounds of branches yield 150 oz. of oil. Weleda needs about 5 to 6 tons of rosemary oil annually. Ecoaromuz delivers most of this share so, to promote good development and to build on reliable quantities, Weleda has entered into a long-term partnership with the company. 

Half an hour's drive from the village of Ademuz on a plateau, three employees are busy with the wild collection on 23,000 acres of land. It’s a huge area, and up here it's hot, the sky is steel-blue and the air is clear. The three workers gather the rosemary rapidly, using an electric saw to cut old branches which are then collected by hand. Younger plants that are not yet woody are harvested with hand shears. 

Anyone who buys oil from traders on the open market can never be one hundred percent sure if the product is pure. For our high-quality requirements, we trust the hands of long-term, trustworthy and reliable partners who can assure us of ecological cultivation and conscientious oil extraction in a single place. With partnerships like this, Weleda supports and encourage greater sustainability to be valued more widely.