Harvesting and producing argan oil is a task principally accomplished by women. From the beginning of June up to September, these fruits are collected by the Berbers’ wives. The fruits fall from the trees themselves by the way, no special activity has to be performed for that. Harvesting with machines is not an option either. The gathered fruits are transported to the village, where they are displayed to dry. Producing this oil is a strenuous and time-consuming process which was only done manually until recently.
Manual production The manual method of working goes as follows: First the nut is removed from the fruit, after which the rough exterior of the nut is being cracked to collect the grape seeds. These are obtained by smashing open the nuts with a stone after which they are roasted on an open fire. Once the seeds have cooled down, they are stored in a stone hand mill which is also used to store wheat. Later on, with the help of a bit of water, these seeds are molded into dough where the argan oil is squeezed out by hand. The dried fleshy pulp and the remains of the dough are fed to the cows and sheep. Per season, approximately 30 kilo of fruits is harvested per tree. This will deliver 1,4 liter of argan oil for which 15 working hours were needed.
