Processing

To ensure the highest quality dill weed, peppermint, and spearmint essential oils, SunWest grows all its own dill weed and mint plants on its farms in Wapato, Washington and Hermiston, Oregon. The rich volcanic soil in the shadow of the Cascades Mountains provides the dill and mint plants with all the natural nutrients that are essential to robust growing conditions. The rich soil and perfect climate conditions of hot days and cool nights ensures a optimum start for quality SunWest essential oil products.

Steam Distillation

Freshly harvested from the field, dill weed is chopped into a fine hay and steam passes through the dill weed to start the distillation process.

Optimum attention is paid throughout processing to ensure the highest standards of hygiene so that no foreign material enter the oil drum and the product purity is 100%, all natural essential oil. See Food Safety.

Custom Blending

Naturally balanced dill weed oil is blended to exact customer specifications to provide the optimum blending of carvone in the dill weed oil required for each specific application.

Testing

An experienced chemist tests and analyzes the dill weed oil in each 55 gallon galvanized drum to determine its composition in terms of grade, color, quality and the precise quantity of carvone in each barrel.

Climate Controlled Storage

Our two farm locations ensure a consistent volume of oil is produced and available on hand for customers year round. Stored in a climate controlled warehouse, this consistent supply allows SunWest to offer stabile essential oil prices and avoid the highs and lows of an unsteady or seasonal supply.

Ready For Shipping

After custom blending, each container, 55 gal drum or 5 gal pail, is then labeled and ready for shipping. Our labeling conforms to our 3rd Party Audit protocols for trace and recall (see Food Safety page). A regularly checked and maintained HACCP Plan facilitates Good Management Practices (GMP’s) and food safety at every step of the production process.