Whether you’re a natural food manufacturer or a food service distributor, finding the right supplier for your goods can be a tedious process.

We talk a lot about the different grades of olive oil: how they’re made, what they’re used for. But, it’s been a while since we talked about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular. Sometimes, organic EVOO seems so straight forward that it’s easy to glance over.

This week, I’d like to bring it back to this classic, premium (and my personal favorite) oil. Here’s some basics about Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil that you should know.

The popularity of safflower and sunflower oil have skyrocketed in natural food products in the last five years. Of course, before then, these were always oils that were both used occasionally — they just weren’t as popular to the same extreme that they are now.

With the recent trend towards natural and premium ingredients, these two oils have struck a chord with the natural food crowd.

They both contain characteristics that natural food manufacturers want to include in their products. Below, we’ll review each of the different features of these oils that makes them so likable.

There’s so much misinformation about canola oil out there. Part of the problem is that the issues people find with it are only sometimes true. To understand the full story, you have to know when the claims about canola oil are actually true and when they are false.

Today, I’ll be tackling some myths and truths about non-gmo canola oil in particular, and how they relate to their conventional and organic counterparts.

As a fan of great leadership, I’m always looking to books on business growth, personal growth and leadership to move our company forward. Many natural food brands are in the same situation: they are often young companies, with fast growing teams that need good leadership to succeed.

Because I know many of you have the same interests — growing your company and building a strong food manufacturing team — we may find that the same books can help us grow.

Below is a list of some of the top recommended business and leaderships books. 

Canola oil can get a pretty bad rap sometimes. You may hear that it’s solvent expelled with chemicals… Or that it’s made from seeds that start with the word “rape”… That alone and it’s not looking too good for canola oil!

Here’s the thing: the poor reputation typically comes from information about conventional oils in particular — how they’re made, where they come from and misinformation about where the seeds originated from. The same information that applies to conventional canola doesn’t necessarily apply to non-gmo and organic canola, and THIS is exactly where the confusion can set in.

Non-gmo and organic versions of canola oil are typically healthier, expeller pressed versions that use no chemical solvents to produce the oil. A lot of the downsides of canola oil that some people claim drastically diminish when you look at organic or non-gmo canola oil, so I think it’s only fair to look at the whole picture.

Why would a natural food manufacturer choose something other than Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Especially something like a blend — a mix of EVOO and other milder oils like canola, soybean, or sunflower?

If you are in the food manufacturing world, you will understand that there’s a lot at play when it comes to these decisions: it’s not just about consumer perception and which oil is the highest quality. It’s also about the taste profile of the oil and how it affects your final product. It’s about about the price of your ingredients, and about quality certifications available (like Non-GMO Project Verified or Organic Certified). There’s a lot of things at play!

So why do some manufacturers opt for a blend of olive oil and canola, or olive oil and sunflower, over something like 100% Extra Virgin?

Let’s talk about the canola plant.

The history of how the canola plant came to be is important: a key misunderstanding that people have about canola oil is that it can’t be organic or non-gmo because it was genetically modified from a rapeseed plant to become a canola plant. They believe that being genetically modified is a basic pre-requisite for existing.

This is not true, and is a misunderstanding of the timeline of events and what occurred.

The history of the canola plant will help illustrate the story of what really happened and why non-gmo and organic canola seeds, grown without genetic modification, really do exist.

There's a lot of reasons people opt for EVOO over lots of the other types of oils out there. Health benefits often top the list for why people choose the "liquid gold".

And what makes Extra Virgin Olive Oil so healthy? Both olive oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are high in monounsaturated fat (the healthy-for-you kind of fat). So what would put EVOO above the others if their fat make-up so similar? Well, it's not just about the kind of fat molecules that they're made up of -- EVOO has a little bit of extra magic inside.

The biggest thing that makes EVOO so healthy is the unique disease-fighting components found in lots of superfoods. And the #1 component on that list? Polyphenols.

...Never heard of them? We'll give you the run down on what they are and what they do for you.

Why are expeller pressed oils all the rage these days? Because frankly, they’re produced in a healthier-for-you, more natural way. And that — being healthy and natural in general — is the real thing that’s all the rage these days.

Most people don’t know how plain old seed oils are produced, so it’s often hard for a typical consumer to compare. They don’t know that the industry standard for oil — in fact, the vast majority of oil available in the world — is produced using chemical solvents.

The difference between the industry standard and expeller pressed oil lies in how the oil is removed from the seeds. Once you start learning more, however, it may be hard to choose anything but an expeller pressed oil.

Are you looking for oils to use in your soap production? Depending on how much you buy, it may be cheaper to buy from a soap-making ingredient supplier who can offer all of your ingredients consolidated into one order.

We talk to lots of soap makers on the hunt for a good fit for a supplier, so we’d like to offer some recommendations.

Looking for an an expeller pressed olive oil? We get this question every once in a while, and I thought it would be worth answering today. While this may seem like it deserves a simple answer, this question can throw some oil industry professionals off because it is the combination of two terms that are not usually used together.

If you’re struggling to find an expeller pressed olive oil, it may be because you’re using terms that aren’t synonymous with what you’re looking for.

What’s the difference between organic olive oil and regular, plain old olive oil? A lot more than you may think!

The key here is knowing your descriptive terms on the label (or within the oil name), and understanding which terms actually denote different quality grades. When reviewing the differences between organic oil and regular oil, it’s important to know that you’re not just comparing if the oil was grown organically or not — most often, you’re also comparing two different olive oil grades that have been produced in completely different ways.

Did you know that there are different types of sunflower oil? Before you go choosing any old grade for your food product, it’s important to understand the difference. Some options can save on oil costs by extending your fry life, some stand up to heat and some are cheaper than others. Each type is fit for a specific purpose, so it’s best to choose the one with the best functionality for your new product line.

The primary differences between the grades have to do with the different levels and types of fat within the oil.

Sometimes edible oils are used for more than just cooking. If you’re on the look out for a biodegradable oil to use for a seemingly “unusual” application, we can point you in the right direction!