The forgotten women behind the True Moroccan Argan Oil! PRESS RELEASE

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1 The forgotten women behind the True Moroccan Argan Oil! PRESS RELEASE The UCFA is the first and biggest Union of Argan Oil Women Cooperatives. The Union guarantees a top quality product and gives a fair income to 1200 Berber women in 22 cooperatives in South West Morocco. Unlike the mass producers in the North of Morrocco, the kernels used by the UCFA are traceable as they grow around the cooperatives, the almonds are cold pressed and kept in dark containers to keep maximum natural vitamin E. The UCFA's argan oil is therefore good for hair but due to its high content of natural vitamin E, it is a wonderful skin moisturiser too! A statement that not many can claim. The list of benefits is just too amazing...(it helps with age prevention, strong nails, eczema, stretch marks, scars, psoriasis, dry scalp, hair growth, hair conditioning). Natural vitamin E cannot be replicated and argan oil from the UCFA is full of it! Moreover, the UCFA is the only producer who has the support of the king Mohamed VI Foundation which aims to empower women and fight poverty in rural areas. The Argan forest also plays an important role in fighting desertification and is protected by UNESCO. The UCFA has partnered with the agriculture minister to ensure forestation projects take place. Thanks to its partners, the Berber women are now empowered to deliver a top quality organic argan oil to meet the demands of the international standards. By buying from the UCFA, we can have a real impact on an entire community who totally rely on Argan oil production. Argan Oil is their main financial resource for supporting the basic needs of their families and communities.

2 Understanding the background: The increase in demand for Argan oil in the 1990 s led to the mechanisation of Argan oil production. Entrepreneurs from France, Switzerland and Morocco took an opportunity to generate profits by exporting Argan oil to the West. In order to increase volume and lower the cost of Argan oil production, these private companies invested in mechanical presses and equipment for extraction using solvents. By the end of 2005, sixteen private oil presses were operating, many of them in Casablanca, hundreds of miles north of the Argan forests. The indigenous Berbers, who used to control Argan oil production, were denigrated to mere suppliers of Argan seeds for these private operators. In order to increase the volume to meet global demand, the private companies started to source Argan seeds on the markets, with little quality control or knowledge of the origin or age of the Argan seeds, or benefit to the Berber communities. Meanwhile, the Berber tribes lost control of Argan oil production, which for hundreds of years was their livelihood, to these international industrialists. Only a small portion of the proceeds of Argan oil sales benefited the Berbers community. Interestingly, these private companies often give the impression that their Argan oil is produced by

3 Berber women. Quoting a study conducted by the German Government Development Agency (GTZ )*, the image of oil-producing women has found its way into commercial advertising, without these women having any share in the added value. To improve the situation, five cooperatives founded the Union of Women s Cooperatives of the Arganeraie (UCFA) in 1999 with the help of the GTZ. The main purpose of the UCFA was to find buyers for organic Argan oil at prices that would ensure the survival of the member cooperatives. The UCFA is completely also self governed by Berber women to ensure the welfare of the 22 villages where the cooperatives are established. The 16 Ways Argan Oil Can Be Produced! There are 16 different ways to produce it and 16 different quality of Argan oil grades or more. The amount of natural vitamin E contained in a 100ml bottle can vary from ZERO to 65mg/100g As an anti ageing ingredient, natural vitamin E cannot be replicated chemically and is a lot more effective than the chemical one. Or even, much better than when Argan Oil is solvent extracted! FAQ s 1, Is it good quality and certified? The cheapest Argan oil comes from the poo of goats who love climbing up the argan tree and do a very good job, cheaply! (see the pic above) The argan oil is then deodorised by either adding powder or heating it very high to kill the strong smell that kind of oil is basically dead and has no vitamin E. The best culinary Argan Oil is extracted by hand by the Berber women but the cosmetic one is cold pressed by small machines within the Union. Cosmetic argan oil is richer in vitamin E than the culinary version which is used to drizzle on various Moroccan dishes. Both the toasted (culinary) and the cosmetic (non toasted) can be taken internally and have many benefits for health. The toasted version add a little taste to those typical Moroccan dishes whereas the cosmetic one doesn't smell as much and is therefore more suitable in cosmetics. 2, Is it from the fruit dried on the tree till fully ripen then picked by hand and the almond removed by hand? To preserve the maximum amount of vitamin E, the fruit needs to be fully ripen on the tree. 3, Is it cold pressed? It needs to be cold pressed so there is no oxidation. 4, Is it pure? The worst quality Argan oil gets mixed with paraffin or water and is still sold as argan oil! Ours is 100% pure Argan Oil 5, Is it kept in dark container? If kept in transparent bottles, the natural Vitamin E will not survive as it sensitive to light and air. 6, Are the people paid fairly and their working conditions decent? Cooperatives of women are everywhere but not all are paid fairly. The UCFA, self governed by

4 women guarantees the welfare of 1200 women in 22 villages. Altogether the UFCA represents 22 cooperatives in 22 villages which totals approx 1200 women who supply the most ethical, purest, richest, raw, filtered cosmetic organic argan oil available in the world. By buying from the UCFA, you contribute to a wonderful sustainable project with real impact on an entire community and help fight desertification. Orders from 10 litres onwards are sent directly from the UCFA and is pressed on demand to guarantee the freshest ingredient with a two years shelf life. Cocoon Therapies uses exclusively the UCFA argan oil in its products so by buying Cocoon Argan, you are guaranteed top grade organic argan oil and have a direct impact on an entire community. Please read my website. I am a local business based in Altrincham and already supply local shops and chemists and the upcoming Altrincham market. I believe in keeping local shops busy as they play a great role within our local communities so my products will always be better value if you shop local! So if you would like to benefit from better prices, please ask your local shop to contact me. If you want to sell my products as self employed to local events, then feel free to call.

5 I also work with charities. My intentions are to help promote the UCFA by informing the trade and the public. There is a lot of cheap unethical argan oil out there! Thank you for reading. I am sorry if this is a bit long!! I have tried to only stick to what matters for now but have a lot more to say!!! If you are interested in finding out more, please do not hesitate. Kind regards Christine Cellier-Clarke Cocoon Therapies (Owner) 52, Willow Tree Road, Hale WA14 2EG Tel:

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