Ostro Organic Inc. is based in Victoria B.C. Canada
Do you have a store front?No, currently we sell direct, thru farmers markets, selected retailers and festivals.
How do Ostro Organics oils stand out from regular oils?We offer extra cold pressed, fresh, unrefined, raw and uncommon oils in certified organic and not mechanically filtered, premium quality.
We are certified by the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society (PACS) Our certification number is PACS 16-661
No, we source them thru distributors and farmers.
Primarily from Canada. Most of the seeds are currently from Saskatchewan, Ontario and B.C. Due to the climate and short harvest season, not all crops can be sourced from Canada.
Primarily from Europe. Less treated and less likely to be contaminated with certain pesticides.
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How do you make sure your products are peanut free?We have our products tested on peanut traces.
No, Ostro Organic manufactures organic walnut oil, organic almond oil and organic hazelnut oil.
Ostro Organics uses two oil presses, one for nuts and one for seeds.
We press and bottle nut oils on different days than seed oils using different oil barrels and tools.
All our products undergo periodic lab testing for salmonella. In addition when purchasing nuts, a lab test is sent to us.
The shelf life of raw, cold pressed, organic oils is one year. Store cool and refrigerated and out of direct sun light.
In general the crops are hard to source. Certified organic, raw, unpasteurized and cleaned. We use the highest graded nuts and seeds that can also be used for snacking. In addition we press under very little pressure, extra cold (between 17°Celsius and 27°Celsius) and very slow. This enables us to obtain roughly two thirds of yield, 66,66%. More yield can be obtained by adding heat, pressure and roasting the nuts and seeds before pressing them.
In addition, pressing such high quality oils is also time consuming, labor intensive and costly.
Why aren’t all nuts and seeds sourced from Canada?The bulk of Canadian seeds are being exported to the U.S., Europe and Asia. It is often very difficult to get your hands on Canadian crops since a lot of farmers work under contract of big and mid-sized corporations. Canada’s climate is not ideal for all crops especially large organic nut farms. Most nut trees/bushes can not withstand long, cold winters.
The price of nuts and seeds is driven by world demand and supply. Extreme weather conditions, storms, hurricanes and drought have a negative impact on most crops.
In addition a lot of farmers choose to grow non-organic, high yield crops that are easier to harvest, clean and sell with more profit, rather than planting organic, rare, low yield, slower growing crops that are more vulnerable to mother nature. Organic nuts and seeds are also an expensive commodity because they are generally traded on the world markets in US Dollars, no matter where the crops are grown.
The fluctuation between the Canadian and the US Dollar usually drives the prices for most commodities up as well as higher demand for certain nuts and seeds.
Are the products gluten free?Yes, all our products are gluten free.
Yes, all products are vegan.
Our products have not been heated or been exposed to heat above 40–49 °C