Avocado oil is the fastest growing product in the Kenyan avocado chain. Every season a third of the crop does not meet fresh export grade because of size, skin blemish or ripeness, and that fruit, pressed within days of harvest, gives an oil with the same fatty acid profile as the fruit itself: high in oleic acid, rich in chlorophyll and carotenoids, and stable at high cooking temperatures. Konza Tropicals supplies crude avocado oil to refiners and brand owners, supports eight oil plants in Kenya and Uganda through its consultancy, and is building its own extraction and refining plant in the Naivasha Special Economic Zone.
What buyers specify
| Parameter | Typical crude cold pressed | What it means for the refiner |
|---|---|---|
| Free fatty acids (FFA, as oleic) | below 5 per cent; 2 to 3 per cent from fresh fruit | Lower FFA means less loss in neutralisation and a better refined yield. |
| Peroxide value | below 10 meq O2/kg | Freshness and handling; nitrogen blanketing keeps it low. |
| Moisture and impurities | below 0.2 per cent after filtration | Filtered oil ships cleaner and stores longer. |
| Oleic acid | 60 to 70 per cent | Comparable to olive oil; the reason avocado oil commands its price. |
| Colour | deep green (crude) to pale yellow (refined) | Chlorophyll is removed in bleaching for refined grades. |
| Smoke point | above 250 °C refined | The selling point for cooking oil brands. |
Every batch we ship carries a certificate of analysis from an accredited laboratory, and pre shipment samples go to the buyer two weeks before loading so that the refinery can run its own tests.
How the oil is made
Kenyan plants use the same cold press technology as the olive oil industry, supplied mainly by Italian equipment makers. Fruit is washed and destoned, the pulp is malaxed at a controlled temperature below 50 °C, and a decanter separates oil, water and pomace. A separator polishes the oil, which is filtered, nitrogen blanketed and stored in stainless tanks. Yields run from 10 to 18 per cent of fruit weight depending on dry matter, so a plant processing twenty tonnes of fruit a day produces two to three tonnes of oil. The pomace and stones go to compost and animal feed, which is the circular model we are building into Naivasha.
Grades and uses
- Crude cold pressed: the trading grade, sold to refiners in Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States, and to cosmetic ingredient houses that want the green, unrefined oil.
- Extra virgin: cold pressed, filtered, low FFA oil bottled for retail; a premium category growing with the olive oil trade.
- Refined, bleached and deodorised: the neutral cooking oil behind most supermarket brands, blended with extra virgin for colour and flavour.
- Cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades: refined oils and unsaponifiables for skin care.
Logistics from Mombasa
Crude oil moves in 22 tonne flexitanks inside 20 foot containers, or in 190 kg food grade drums and 1,000 litre IBCs for smaller buyers. Transit to Genoa, Valencia and Barcelona is 20 to 25 days; to Rotterdam 25 to 30 days; to the US East Coast 35 to 40 days. We sell CIF the destination port or FOB Mombasa and work on an advance per flexitank at contract signature, the bulk against shipping documents and a small balance after the buyer's arrival analysis.
Why Kenya
Kenya combines a large, growing Hass and Fuerte crop, a long harvest window, low cost fruit that cannot be exported fresh, and an SEZ framework that reduces the tax and duty cost of a processing plant. Together with Tanzania and Uganda, where we also source oil, East Africa can supply European and North American refiners in the months when Mexican and Peruvian crude is scarce. See our avocado oil offer, read about the Naivasha plant, or write to exports@konzatropicals.com with your volume and specification.
Buyers: exports@konzatropicals.com · Consultancy and partners: consult@konzatropicals.com · Chat on WhatsApp
More insights