Argan Oil Cooperatives Near Essaouira: What They Are and Why to Visit

Argan trees grow wild only in a specific region of southwestern Morocco, roughly between Essaouira, Agadir and Taroudant, and the oil pressed from their nuts — used in both cooking and cosmetics — is produced largely by women's cooperatives that were specifically set up to give rural women fair pay and independent income from a traditional skill.

Why Argan Grows Only Here

The argan tree is remarkably drought-tolerant and adapted to the semi-arid conditions of this specific corner of Morocco; despite decades of attempts, it hasn't been successfully cultivated as a commercial crop anywhere else in the world at scale, which is part of why genuine argan oil commands the price it does.

How the Oil Is Actually Made

Traditional production is labor-intensive: nuts are cracked by hand between stones (a skill passed down and, notably, done almost exclusively by women), the kernels inside are ground into a paste, and the paste is kneaded by hand to release the oil. Culinary argan oil is made from lightly roasted kernels and has a distinctive nutty flavor; cosmetic-grade oil uses raw, unroasted kernels for a lighter scent.

The Cooperative Model

Women's argan cooperatives, many established from the 1990s onward with support from Moroccan and international development programs, were designed to cut out middlemen and let women earn directly and fairly from oil they'd traditionally produced only for household use. Visiting one supports that model directly rather than buying from resellers of uncertain origin.

What a Visit Actually Involves

Most visits are short and genuinely worthwhile — watching the hand-cracking and grinding process, a chance to taste culinary oil (often with fresh bread and amlou, an argan-almond-honey spread worth trying on its own merits), and the option to buy oil directly from the cooperative at a fair, transparent price.

Where This Fits

Our 15 day tour's drive from Essaouira to Marrakech passes directly through argan-growing country, with a cooperative stop built into the route.