Buying coconut oil in bulk isn’t as straightforward as purchasing coconut oil in a grocery store. This is because, here, you are in charge of guaranteeing quality, value, purchasing rights, and more.
If you are looking for bulk coconut oil, make sure you read this guide to ensure that you are making the best possible decision for yourself.
Or just have us help you with the process:
Table of Contents
Sourcing Organic Coconut Oil
These days, organic products – particularly when it comes to food and skincare – are highly requested. This extends to coconut oil as well. Thus, you may be considering getting a supplier that extracts coconut oil from organic coconuts.
Before you do this, however, you should know that organic coconut oil isn’t all that much healthier or safer than regular coconut oil. This is because pesticides don’t really show up in coconut oil. So, while organic coconuts (and the resulting coconut oil) will cost more, you aren’t really getting additional value for it.
What really matters with coconut oil is the extraction process – this will be explained in greater detail below – so there’s no need to stress about labels. However, if your target market is focused on buying wholly organic products, then it may make sense for you to splurge.
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Quality and the Method of Extraction
The quality of coconut oil really comes into play with extraction methods. The commercial extraction and production of coconut oil has been going on for a long time. However, it is only recently that it has become so widespread.
It is this new increased interest in the product that has led many in the industry to reconsider the extraction and processing methods. Understand, for the longest time, coconut oil was extracted by more rudimentary means. What’s more, these oils also underwent additional processing, producing a coconut oil that is known as RBD oil – refined, bleached, and deodorized.
Needless to say, this was a lower quality oil, although it was cheaper to produce. However, as coconut oil gained more prominence, consumers began to look for better, healthier coconut oils. Thus, virgin coconut oil was born.
Virgin coconut oil can either be extracted via a wet or dry method. With the wet method, both coconut milk and coconut oil are extracted from coconut meat. They are then separated. This strategy has proven to produce coconut oil with a greater quantity of phenolic compounds and may be a healthier option.
The dry method is where the coconut is placed under extreme pressure until coconut oil is exuded. Now, for the most part, RBD coconut oil is also extracted via the dry method. The main difference, though, is that this oil undergoes even more processing after this step.
Therefore, when looking for a supplier, it is important to consider what type of coconut oil they are offering. Furthermore, make an effort to check what kind of extraction process the coconut oil is going through and whether it undergoing any additional process.
At the same time, always ascertain whether or not the supplier adds any ingredients to the coconut oil. For coconut oil to be considered wholly virgin – and organic – it shouldn’t really contain any other components apart from the oil.
A Side Note About Labels
There are plenty of manufacturers and suppliers that will label their coconut oil as being “extra virgin” coconut oil. And, in doing so, they will hike up their prices. But here’s the catch – extra virgin coconut oil isn’t a recognized label. Essentially, because there is no such thing – the extra virgin category exists for olive oil but not coconut oil.
So, take the label into consideration when selecting your coconut oil. If a supplier is trying to charge you more for extra virgin oil, you may want to look elsewhere.
Selecting Coconut Oil Based on Use
Apart from RBD and virgin coconut oil, you also need to be aware of fractionated coconut oil. Like RBD coconut oil, fractionated coconut oil undergoes further processing. However, it does so for a very different reason.
Fractionated coconut oil is processed to remove the lauric acid in the oil, leaving behind medium chain fatty acids. These are believed to have greater health benefits. Most notably, though, fractionated coconut oil is more readily absorbed by the skin.
This is why it is a popular oil for skincare purposes, hair care, and even massage oil. Thus, if this is your clientele or if you are making coconut oil based cosmetic products, then selecting fractionated coconut oil will be a good option for you.
Information About Nutritional Components
As you are aware, most people consume or use coconut oil for the health benefits. Due to this, most individuals are quite concerned with the exact nutritional profile of coconut oil. Thus, you must be just as aware of what kind of oil your manufacturers or suppliers are selecting.
If possible, look for ones that put their coconut oil through testing. This way, you can get a proper nutritional value and have a greater understanding of the number of calories, saturated fat content, MCT content, etc. In turn, you will be able to provide your own consumers with these details.
Make sure that the manufacturers or suppliers do regular testing so that you can ensure that all the information that you are providing is accurate and up-to-date.
Labeling Rights
If you will be using coconut oil in food items, then the labeling rights will not be a concern for you. However, if you want to sell products under your brand name, then you will have to think about the labeling rights.
Here, you will need to choose between private labels and borrowing the labeling rights of the manufacturing company. The good news is that many of the wholesale manufacturers will actually offer you both options. It is up to you to decide which one is right for you.
Sharing rights with the manufacturing company can help to keep costs down as this typically speeds up the processing and packaging stages. Nonetheless, if you are looking to build your own brand, then a private label will pay off. Just make sure that you are confident enough in the product to put your brand name on it.
The Packaging
As mentioned, coconut oil can be used for so many different purposes. As such, every wholesale supplier or manufacturer may offer you a wider variety of packaging opportunities. It can be helpful to select containers according what you need them for.
For instance, if you are in the restaurant or bakery business, then fancy packaging will not matter all that much. In this case, large buckets filled with coconut oil will do the trick. On the other hand, if you are selling coconut oil from a physical or online store, particularly for cooking, then you will need to use glass or plastic jars.
Packaging can be especially important when it comes to beauty products or hair care products. Thus, if you are selling such coconut oil based items, then you need to focus on smaller, prettier packaging. At the same time, pay attention to the audience that you are selling to.
For example, are you selling coconut oil to be used on the hair or skin? Then, you may want to pour your coconut oil into bottles that can double as pump bottles. On the other hand, if your coconut oil will be used as a carrier oil, then you may want to invest in some roller bottles.
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This is your guide to wholesale coconut oil. There are more than a few things to consider here. Once you have worked out all the elements, though, you will be in a far better position to make a profit while simultaneously providing your consumers with a better quality product.