About us

Vossen & Co, a private company established in 1987 and located in Brussels, Belgium, distributes organic essential oils from Nepal, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Bhutan, India, Bulgaria and Albania.

These products are used worldwide in aromatherapy, and for the production of fragrances, cosmetics, flavourings and pharmaceuticals.

In its cooperation with the production countries, Vossen & Co is determined to behave in a socially responsible way, endeavoring to create maximum local employment in correct conditions, without race or gender bias, paying fair prices, and respecting nature and sustainability. In line with this philosophy, it insists on applying the rules of organic agriculture and organic wild harvest.

Nepal
In Nepal the making and use of essential oils goes back to millenary traditions (Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine). Obtained by slow steam distillation with pure Himalayan water, these oils are the essence of herbs, leaves, roots, fruits and flowers that are either organically grown or wild-collected in the valleys and mountains of the country.

Vossen & Co has its own sister company in Kathmandu: Malé International Pvt. Ltd. This office effectively controls the plantations and the distillation, packing, transport and warehousing of the oils and herbs. It is also responsible for the internal control on the implementation of the very strict rules of organic production.

Since 2005, Malé developed its own pilot-plantations in the subtropical Terai region of Nepal, thus creating ever more employment and facilitating test-runs of new products. You can check out the web-site of Malé International at www.male.com.np

In 2002 Vossen & Co obtained the organic certification (EU and USDA/NOP) for 18 Nepalese essential oils. Since then, this certification has been renewed yearly, after due control by Ecocert, Control Union (SKAL) and/or CERES. The increased market access created by this certification means a better income for rural communities and families living isolated in the mountains. It is also reviving the activities of small distillers in the countryside, and helps to preserve their traditional know how.

Vietnam
Vietnam, by its geographical situation, has very distinct growing conditions in the north and south of the country. The northern provinces, with a temperate climate and lots of hills and steep slopes, grow a selection of oil-bearing trees and fruits for wild-collection. In southern Vietnam, the tropical climate and the rich alluvial delta-soil make a particularly suitable combination for the cultivation of oil-bearing plants and herbs.

In 2004, Vossen & Co made an exclusive cooperation agreement with a local company, Moonflower Oils and Spices Co. (www.moonflowervn.com ) to explore the Vietnamese potential. Gradually, Moonflower succeeded in making a series of improvements to the traditional ways of working and the methods of distillation. It provided logistical help and adequate packing drums, organized filtering and transport, and helped in the development of a series of new products and projects, which in turn led to a steadily growing export.

Moonflower Oils and Spices Co. controls all the productions, and takes responsibility for the strict observance of all organic production rules. The organic certification (EU and NOP) of its vietnamese oils and dried herbs was obtained by Vossen & Co in 2004, and has been yearly renewed since then.

Ethiopia
In collaboration with Ariti Herbal in Addis Abeba, Vossen & Co has organized production and export of essential oils of frankincense, myrrh and opoponax, which were certified organic in june 2006.

Bhutan
The Mahayana Buddhist kingdom which, true to its beliefs, practices complete respect of nature and organic systems of agriculture, is a thriving source of wild lemongrass. Being landlocked and relatively closed it never marketed its organic oils to their full potential on an international scale.

Together with Bio Bhutan, Vossen&Co started to market Bhutanese organic lemongrass oil in 2006. Since then, plans have been worked out to develop cultivation of the best strains of local lemongrass, in order to standardize the product and increase the supply. 

India
The Indian subcontinent is undoubtedly one of the major players in the field of essential oils . Although the organic production system is promoted and subsidized by the Indian government, the farmers who develop organic products often lack the means of marketing them internationally. Since 2007 we cooperate with several groups in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and have been able to tap “niche” markets for them, thereby extending our own ranges and increasing the available quantities.

Albania
Albania is a lush Mediterranean country very rich in bio-diversity. A vast range of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) is growing in the wild. Some MAPs were also cultivated on a small scale under the former regime. But since the 1990's, with the transition from a centralised to a free market economy, production of  MAPs and essential oils has been steadily growing. Intensive efforts are currently being made to increase production and add value through organic certification, technology improvements, new product development and compliance with international standards. We are providing our local partners the know how and practical help for setting up a filtering system and quality control, organizing lab analyses and supplying adequate drums for the packing and shipping of their essential oils

Commitment to quality
All our certified organic essential oils are 100% natural, pure and unadulterated. All raw materials, transport, distillation units and warehouses are regularly controlled both internally and by the certification inspectors. Each fresh production batch of essential oil is analysed by Gas Chromatography (GC) in independent laboratories to check the oil and its compounds against established standards.

Although all our essential oils are certified organic, some customers ask us for guarantees that our oils do not contain harmful concentrations of pesticides.
We have therefore decided to test most batches of our oils at Fytolab CVBA in Gent, Belgium, a reputed European laboratory specialized in pesticide residue analysis. Each batch is tested  by a combination of 2 complementary multi residue methods, GCMS/MS and LCMS/MS. By these accredited, selective and highly performant methods more than 320 pesticides are controlled.
The complete list of contaminants, and  their quantification limit, can be consulted on  http://www.fytolab.com/ and it must be noted that this list has been compiled based on a.o. the EU-monitoring plan and the EU Pesticide Regulation No. 396/2005/EC and annexes (see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:058:0001:0398:EN:PDF)

Each tested batch is marked "pesticide-tested" in the GC-analyses page which also contains all the GC results for the lots we have in stock in Brussels. Upon request a copy of the pesticide residue analysis can be delivered with your order.