The Meaning Of Expeller Pressed vs Cold Pressed

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

It can be hard to know exactly what you may be getting when it comes to oil. Oils are produced in multiple ways. Some are expelled using solvents like hexane, while others are expeller-pressed with a mechanical press that squeezes the oil out.

How the oil is produced isn't always clearly marked either. Sometimes it is described in the title, in full works or abbreviated form, or sometimes you might find that it is only described on the spec sheet. Worse still, some industrial suppliers make no mention of how the oil is made on any documents. It will be in your hands to make sure you ask all the right questions and receive the proper documentation.

Here at Centra Foods, we make it a point to be as clear and explicit as possible. That is why today I will explain what solvent expelling, expeller pressing and cold pressing methods all look like in detail.

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What Benefits Should My Oil Supplier Be Offering?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

As a purchaser of bulk oil ingredients and olive oils, you will find there are some expectations that should be set forth to your oil supplier.

Your supplier should always — no matter what — consider your company needs and goals FIRST and work to guide you to both the best ingredient for your food product, as well as the best choices for packaging, contracting, and other supply chain details. Overall, it should always be a mutually beneficial business agreement. You should feel like you won a great fit for a long term partner!

Unfortunately, there are many suppliers in the market today that can be unaccountable or let their own desires guide their business decisions. And this doesn’t just happen in the oil industry! Some of the worst things you may see would be if your supplier ignores you, they mis-ship product or quantities, if they don’t communicate on backorders, or — worst of all — if they promote adulterating or false labeling to be able to offer you a cheaper price just to win your business. Working with a supplier like that, you’ll ultimately lose out in the long run.

While you’re in the midst of your vendor search, keep the following list of benefits in mind that you absolutely should have in a long-term supply chain partnership.

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Benefits Of Olive Oil Soaps

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Did you know that there are major benefits to soap that is made with olive oil?

The majority of Americans simply buy the cheapest soap found in the grocery stores and may be missing out on all the major benefits. Conventional soaps can leave your skin dry, cracked or require more moisturizers to keep your skin in balance. They also can contain many different types of harsh chemicals, sulfates and sulfites. It’s a lot for your skin to take!

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Comparing Ingredient Supplier Models: Which Fits Your Business?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Oil suppliers can look very different, each with their own unique strengths and business models. They can be very large or very small, set in their ways or very flexible. They may only supply oils — or even just one type of oil — or they may supply lots of different products.

Each type of supplier will serve your company’s needs differently and bring their own pros and cons to the table. To do a truly helpful comparison, it’s important to first understand the different types of suppliers and how their different business models work.

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Gross and Net Weight Calculations for Edible Oil Pallets

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Are you looking at bulk oils for the very first time from a bulk supplier? If your answer is yes, there are a few basics you will need to know. For example, you’ll need to know how much oil you are getting in one shipment, determine the weight of the different packaging options, and understand how much oil you are getting on one pallet.

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Top 8 Allergens and How They Relate To Oils

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Worried about allergens when you’re choosing an oil ingredient for your natural food product? You’re not alone. This is something that multiple departments within your company will have to weigh in on: Purchasing, R&D, QA and Marketing. They will all play a part in this discussion when you’re producing a food product.

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Bulk Olive Oil: How Much Oil Is In A Minimum Order Of 1 Pallet?

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

When looking to purchase bulk oil — olive oil, or any other oils for that matter — it is important to understand that each different supplier is going to have a minimum order. Distributors, for example may have a smaller minimum order like a few cases or a $200 minimum. Large manufacturers, on the other hand, will have a larger minimum order.

This “minimum order” information is good to know as you are doing your supplier analysis; it will tell you how much capitol you’ll be required to invest in inventory at one time and help you weigh out if it’s too much inventory for you to hold and use over time.

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The Shelf Life Of Olive Oil

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Olive oil shelf life is truly a important thing we need to be aware of. Every distributor may have a different answer for you in regards to how long they suggest olive oil to last for. As for Centra Foods, our oils have a shelf life of 2 years (or 24 months) which is based on the date of manufacturing.

Here’s more about what you need to know about the shelf life of olive oil and why it’s so variable.

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How To Dispense Bulk Oil From A Tote, Drum and 35 Lb. Container

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

There are lots of different ways you can dispense oil from bulk packaging. Most options will require some sort of dispensing system. As you are comparing bulk packaging options, it’s always helpful to understand how you well get your oil out once it is in your facility.

In this article, you will find out how to dispense from the three most common bulk oil packaging options (35 Lb. Containers, Drums and Totes) whether you are pumping into smaller bottles or if the oil is being used as a batch in your food manufacturing.

These different options are all machine-free, low-cost, easy to use, and take up practically no facility space.

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How To Dispense Oil From A Plastic/Steel Drum with A Drum Pump

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Are you wondering if you can use a drum pump in both steel and plastic drums? Well, the answer is yes! And even better, you can use the same pump in both types of drums.

Let me break down for you how easy it is to use.

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How To Dispense Bulk Oil From A Tote Using A Gravity Drain Pump

Posted by Alexa Ketterling

Dispensing from a 275 Gallon Tote can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. With the right dispensing attachments, it’s really quite easy!

Many companies opt to buy bulk oil totes and need these dispensers. Whether you’re filling smaller bottles from totes to save money, or if you are using these bulk totes in your manufacturing production, we can provide an easy way for you to dispense out of them.

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How To Dispense Oil From A 35 Lb. Container Using A Spigot

Posted by Alexa Ketterling
   Are you looking for an easy way to fill smaller containers (or bottles) of olive oil?

You may find yourself looking for a simple system to dispense out of these larger cases. In fact, most small businesses and at-home users find that ordering 35 Lb. Containers (4.6 Gallon Jugs) is what’s cheapest and what works best for them.

If you find yourself looking for an easy dispensing solution (but not looking for a big piece of machinery or a super-complicated set up), we have the perfect solution for you!

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3 Factors To Consider When Deciding If A Local Distributor Is Right

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

There’s a common debate for small and growing companies: when should you make the leap from buying from a local distributor or wholesaler to a larger bulk supplier. The reality is that it’s a larger change than you might be prepared for, even if you want the savings of working with a larger bulk supplier.

Here’s the most important things to consider as you’re thinking about buying from a national supplier.

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Industrial How-To Series: Choosing The Right Bulk Olive Oil Grade

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Centra Foods receives questions from hundreds of manufacturers each year on the best ways to select specialty oil ingredients that fit their many different corporate goals -- one being cost savings, particularly for manufacturers using olive oil.

There are many components that can affect the total price of your olive oil, including the different quality grades of olive oil, the type of bulk packaging you choose, the volume of your orders, the distance of the shipping point and the experience or business model of your bulk supplier(s).  

In this part one of the series, we're going to weigh in with the different factors that relate to choosing the right grade of olive oil to meet your company's needs.

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The Avg. Salary For Your Procurement, Supply Chain or Purchasing Job?

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

If you're hoping get a promotion or continue to move forward in the career that you're in, it's helpful to have a good idea of what's "industry standard" in your position and work field.  

Having an understanding of the average information about your job (and others like it) will also help you make decisions about what you'd like to do more of in the future. It's also good to get a better understanding of what your peers might be getting paid to make sure you're being compensated competitively -- and to decide your later career path, if finances are a part of that decision for you.

That's why I've compiled average salary information about purchasing and manufacturing jobs to help you get a bit of perspective on your current position -- and to make plans for the future.

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