SunWest Ingredients - About Us

In 1954, when Jim St. Hilaire returned to the Yakima Valley after completing his military service, he began farming with just 10 acres of corn.

In the 1960s, Jim made the fortuitous switch from corn and sugar beets to peppermint and spearmint, which allowed the farm to prosper amidst the inauspicious decline of the sugar beet industry.

The farm’s first “still” (steam distillation facility) was built in the early 1960s. A few years later, a larger, more advanced still was constructed (seen here).

As the farm grew, so did Jim’s family. Together with his 7 sons, he continued to expand the farm and its facilities. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, several new buildings were added to the property, including this wheat warehouse that decades later would be enlarged and rebuilt to house SunWest’s laboratory and blending facility.

In the mid-1970s, JSH Farms started growing dill weed. At the time, flavor and pickle companies were having a difficult time finding enough consistent, high quality dill oil to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding fast food and pickle industries. In response, Jim enlisted the expertise of Dr. Donald Roberts and together they developed a new dill line that is now the dominant variety used in the production of dill oil. Dr. Roberts established the standards for the commercial production of dill weed oil based on his extensive research at JSH Farms in the early 1980s.

To support the farm's continued growth, a second location was acquired near Hermiston, Oregon, located in the Columbia River Basin.

We have continued to expand throughout the years, creating and incorporating numerous innovations in regards to distillation, system controls, facilities and equipment as well as progressive farming and processing techniques. Why? To better serve the needs of our various customers.

SunWest Ingredients was established in the mid-1990s as a specialized division of JSH Farms in order to focus on the specific needs of the pickle industry. We set the standard for pure, consistent, high quality dill oil and several decades later we remain industry leaders. We have since expanded our product lines to include flavoring emulsions and other essential oils.

Have you ever wondered how essential oils are made? Here's how we do it... The first step is the flyover -- we use an airplane, helicopter, and/or drone to get a bird's eye view of the crops. This helps us determine the right time to begin harvest. This is a critical step for producing a high quality oil.

Inspection -- we get into the fields for a close-up look. For dill weed, most of the oil is in the seed. As the plant matures, the seed turns from green to bronze to brown before falling off onto the ground. The target harvest time is right as the seed begins the bronzing stage.

Cut & windrow -- this lays down the plant material into manageable rows. The mints are left to dry in the field for a day or two before the next step, but the dill weed and lavender are collected within minutes.

Chop & collect -- the plant material is then chopped into small pieces and blown into a wagon as the tractor pulls it through the field. As soon as the wagon is full, it is transported to the distillation facility (the Still).

Steam -- The wagon is then connected to a hose which carries steam from the boilers. As the steam rises up through the freshly chopped dill weed, it ruptures cells in the plant material and extracts the essential oil. This steam and oil mixture then flows up through a vacuum hose and along a pipe into a condenser.

Inside the Still (part 1) -- the condenser cools the steam/oil mixture which then flows to a receiving can where the oil and water mixture collects and begins to separate (oil floats on water).

Inside the Still (part 2) -- over time the oil separates further and is then de-cantered off into a 55 gallon drum, with each one given a unique bar-code (tag number).

Laboratory Analysis – every drum of essential oil is unique. Our in house lab tests each drum to measure chemistry components and olfactory characteristics. We use this data in the selection of material for our customers’ needs. GC (Gas Chromatography) reports available upon request.

Lot creation -- for lots larger than one drum we mix oil from our large inventory to make components uniform to match or provide a given specification. Our customers enjoy year-round consistency for their entire year's oil volume requirements. We define blending as oil + oil = oil. No diluents, no additives here, just the way Mother Nature intended!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

State of the art facilities for the growing, distillation, specification and distribution of essential oils. Borne from decades of discovery, creativity, refinement, and expansion. That's the SunWest Ingredients difference!

When SunWest Ingredients was first established all we did was sell dill weed oil. But along with various other essential oils we produce, we also use and supply other flavor ingredients used in the pickle industry. We are very careful about our selections as we know the best means better flavor! We have strong positions on Pimento Leaf (Allspice), Garlic China and other oils. We also are gradually expanding our fragrance oil offerings. Head over to our PRODUCTS page for more information, or go to our CONTACT US page if you need something you don't see and let us know.

Our mission is to serve our customers’ needs with the highest levels of honesty, integrity, and quality. Our success is based on solid relationships with our customers, competitive pricing, superior products, consistency, food safety, and quick customer service. Our customers aren’t just an ID number. We know each of them by name.