Over the last two decades, Arulussa Farm has been growing and cultivating the tea tree plant for use in becoming Tea Tree Essential Oil. We’re so excited to introduce you to this product and what goes into the process of getting it from the seed to the final product you see.

Tea Tree

Tea Tree is the name used for a variety of plants, mostly native to Australia and New Zealand, that have natural properties often used in skincare and as a topical application. The climate in Zambia, where Arulussa Farm is located, just so happens to be similar enough to its native environment that growing the tea tree plant is no problem; in fact, it was already growing there when they started the farm!

Arulussa is located approximately 4,000 feet above sea level and experiences a consistently mild climate. It’s this weather which really helps the plants to thrive.

How It's Grown

Arulussa grows their tea tree plants from the seeds themselves. Seedlings start out in the nursery and are transferred to pots once they grow to a height of six inches. After they reach a height of one foot, they’re then transferred to the field to continue growing. During the year, it rains from September to March, and for the last four months, the plants are only moistened by the rain. In the dry months, Arulussa Farm provides water to the plants via irrigation. The area surrounding the plants is regularly weeded by hand and the trees are fertilized for maximum health.

Harvesting & Distilling

Every May, it’s time to harvest the leaves from the trees., which are stripped off by hand. Workers then transport those leaves to the distiller, where they are steamed in order to release the pure essential oils within.

After the oil has been steamed out of the leaves, it’s stored on-site and prepared for shipping to the Nature Packaged warehouse in Wisconsin. From there, it’s bottled, labeled, and shipped directly to you!

Caring for the Earth

Arulussa Farm matches Nature Packaged’s commitment to environmental care and betterment. Use of machinery is limited, and most care and harvesting is done by hand. Any leftover plant parts from distillation are reused as mulch, so that the plants continue to grow and lose as little of their nutrients as possible. Arulussa’s tea tree crop even grows around and among trees and plants native to Zambia, so that the natural biodiversity is not infringed.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about this wonderful plant. By being conscious of the harvesting process and consciously choosing sustainably harvested tea tree oils, we support not only the environment, but also the hardworking people who are dedicated to harvesting and providing us with this amazing essential oil. Together, we can ensure that tea tree oil will remain available for generations to come.

If you'd like to purchase some of Arulussa Farm's Tea Tree Essential Oil, click here!