The African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originates from the tropical rainforests of West Africa, including Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the equatorial regions of Congo and Angola. For thousands of years, its fruits have been used to produce red palm oil, an essential ingredient in traditional West African cuisine. Today, the palm is also grown commercially across tropical regions, including parts of Asia.

• Dura: Large fruit with a thick shell and thin pulp. This is the traditional variety, used to produce pure red palm oil.

• Pisifera: Small, shell-less fruit.

• Tenera: A hybrid of Dura and Pisifera, with thicker pulp and higher oil content. It is ideal for industrial production, but its high fat content causes it to solidify quickly, making it less suitable for cooking.

Dura is the oldest and most authentic variety. Its oil stays fluid, red, and flavorful, making it perfect for cooking and traditional dishes. Unlike Tenera, it preserves the right taste and texture.

Oil palms grow in farms of different sizes—small, medium, or large plantations. There are also wild groves, which grow naturally in the forest from dispersed seeds. Dura palms are very tall and take time to produce, but their oil is of the highest quality.

High yields are rarely achieved because climatic conditions are often less than ideal. Erratic rainfall causes water stress for the trees, and managing labor, imported fertilizers, pesticides, and harvesting machinery is costly and can limit plantation productivity.

Yes. Planting smaller varieties like Tenera often leads to clearing native forests, driving deforestation, and threatening wildlife such as orangutans and other primates in West Africa.

Our commitment: Work with farmers who maintain existing Dura plantations to manage land sustainably and protect biodiversity.

By choosing products made with sustainably sourced palm oil and reducing overall palm oil consumption, consumers can play a role in protecting forests and wildlife.