Inside a women's argan oil cooperative in the Ourika Valley

• Every step of hand extraction shown by the women themselves
• Tasting of culinary argan oil and amlou with bread
• Clear difference between culinary and cosmetic oil
• Tips to spot real oil and buy fairly

A women's argan cooperative in the Ourika Valley is a workshop where members crack, grind and press argan kernels by hand, show the process to visitors and sell the oil. The argan tree (Argania spinosa) does not grow in Ourika: it is endemic to south-west Morocco, in a forest that UNESCO declared a biosphere reserve in 1998, so the cooperatives of the valley buy their kernels from that region. The oil is made in five steps: drying the fruit, cracking the nut between two stones, roasting the kernels (for culinary oil only), grinding them on a stone mill, then kneading the paste with lukewarm water until the oil separates. Culinary oil is darker and smells of toasted nuts; cosmetic oil comes from raw kernels and is pale, with almost no smell. The demonstration is free, short and without obligation to buy, and prices in cooperatives are usually marked and fixed.

The argan cooperative is often the first stop on our Ourika Valley day trip, and for many travellers it is the one they talk about at dinner.

Do argan trees grow in the Ourika Valley?

Let us clear up the most common confusion first: argan trees do not grow in the Ourika Valley. The argan (Argania spinosa) is endemic to south-west Morocco, where it forms open forests on the Souss plain and on the lower slopes of the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas, towards Essaouira, Agadir and Taroudant. It is a tough, thorny tree with deep roots that survives heat and drought, holds the soil against erosion and has fed people and goats for centuries.

This forest is so important that UNESCO declared it Morocco's first biosphere reserve, the Arganeraie, in 1998, covering about 2.5 million hectares. In 2014, the practices and know-how around the argan tree were added to UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the skills that rural women pass on to their daughters. Since 2021, the United Nations also marks 10 May as the International Day of Argania.

So why an argan cooperative in the Atlas, far from the trees? Because the valley sits on the main tourist road from Marrakech, the cooperatives here buy kernels from the argan region and do the hand processing, the demonstration and the selling on site. The work and the income stay with the women of the valley, who are paid as members of the cooperative.

How is argan oil made, step by step?

The women usually sit in a row, each at one stage of the process. Here is what you will see.

1. Drying the fruit

The argan fruit looks like a small green olive. It is left to dry in the sun until the fleshy pulp turns brown and wrinkled, then the pulp is removed. The pulp is not wasted: in the argan region it is fed to animals.

2. Cracking the nut

This is the part everyone films. Inside the pulp is a very hard nut. The women hold it on a flat stone and strike it with a smaller stone, with a precise angle and force, to open it without crushing the one to three almond-shaped kernels inside. They make it look easy. Try it yourself and you will understand why this step takes most of the working time.

3. Roasting (for culinary oil only)

Kernels intended for eating are gently roasted in a clay or metal pan over a fire, which gives the oil its warm, nutty taste and darker colour. Kernels intended for cosmetic oil are not roasted.

4. Grinding

The kernels are ground on a traditional stone hand mill: the upper stone is turned by a wooden handle, and a thick brown paste comes out between the stones.

5. Kneading and pressing

The paste is kneaded by hand, with small amounts of lukewarm water added little by little, until the oil separates and can be squeezed out. What remains is a dry cake, traditionally given to animals. Many cooperatives today also use mechanical presses for the oil they sell in quantity, while the hand method is kept for demonstration and small batches. Do not hesitate to ask the women which method was used for the bottle you are holding.

Culinary oil or cosmetic oil?

The two look similar but are not interchangeable.

A good way to remember it: if it smells like toasted hazelnuts, it is for the kitchen. Culinary argan oil is used cold or added at the end of cooking; high heat spoils its taste. Cosmetic oil is applied in drops, on damp skin or on the ends of the hair.

Amlou, the one to taste

Amlou is a thick spread made from roasted almonds, culinary argan oil and honey, ground together. It is eaten for breakfast or at tea time with warm bread, and it is usually offered to taste at the cooperative. If you buy one jar of something to take home, many of our guests say it should be this one. More about local dishes on our Berber food page.

How can you tell real argan oil from a fake?

Fake or diluted argan oil is common in tourist markets. A few simple checks help:

• Smell it. Culinary oil should smell toasted and nutty. Cosmetic oil should smell faintly nutty or almost nothing. A strong perfume or a rancid, fishy smell is a warning sign.
• Look at the colour. Real cosmetic oil is pale gold, not colourless and not orange.
• Feel it. A drop on the back of your hand should soak in within a minute or so without leaving a greasy film.
• Read the label. It should say 100% argan oil, with the name of the cooperative or producer and a date or batch number. "Argan" in large letters followed by a long list of other oils is a blend.
• Check the price. Hand-extracted argan oil takes many hours of work and a large quantity of fruit for each litre. If a big bottle costs almost nothing, it is not pure.
• Prefer dark glass. Light and heat damage the oil; a dark glass bottle keeps it longer.

Buying fairly

At the cooperative, prices are usually marked and fixed, and there is no haggling as there might be in the souk. Ask the price per litre so you can compare bottle sizes honestly, and taste before you buy. You are never obliged to buy anything after the demonstration: the women are used to visitors who simply watch, ask questions and say thank you. Some cooperatives accept cards, but carry cash in dirhams to be safe.

For the flight, remember the cabin limit on liquids: bottles over the limit go in checked luggage, wrapped in clothes and sealed in a plastic bag. Amlou also counts as a paste, so pack it in the hold. For the bigger picture of cooperatives in the valley, see our page on cooperatives and villages.

What the visit looks like

We arrive, a member of the cooperative welcomes you and walks you past the women at work, explaining each step, usually in French or English, with our guide translating when needed. You are invited to crack a nut yourself, then sit down to taste bread with culinary oil, amlou and honey. The last room is the shop, with oils, creams, soaps and amlou. The visit itself is short, longer if you ask questions, and it combines easily with the nearby roadside potteries and the drive up to Setti Fatma.

A word on photos: the women are working, and most are happy to be photographed during the demonstration, but it is polite to ask, and some prefer not to appear on camera. Respect a refusal with a smile. If you want to know more about the women of the valley and their daily life, our page on the Berber people of Ourika goes further.

Sources

• UNESCO Man and the Biosphere, Arganeraie biosphere reserve
• UNESCO, Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree (2014)
• FAO, argan-based agro-sylvo-pastoral system (GIAHS)
• United Nations, International Day of Argania, 10 May