Blogs
From Farm to Bottle:
How GreenDumbells
Cold Presses Its Oils
Related Articles
- Cold-Pressed Oils: Understanding the Difference from Refined Oils
- Unlocking the Secrets of Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil: Benefits and Uses
- Himalayan Pink Salt vs. Regular Table Salt: Is It Actually Better for You?
- The Science Behind Cold Pressed Coconut Oil and Heart Health: Busting the Cholesterol Myth
Step 1: Seed Sourcing from Verified Farmer Partners
GreenDumbells sources seeds directly from a network of farmer partners — mustard seed farmers in Rajasthan, coconut farmers in Kerala, sunflower farmers in Karnataka, and groundnut farmers across Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. We do not buy from intermediary traders or commodity markets. Direct sourcing gives us visibility into farming practices and allows us to verify that seeds are grown without prohibited pesticide applications.
Each batch of seeds is tracked by origin farm, harvest date, and variety. This traceability is not just for our internal records — it is the foundation of our quality promise. We can trace any bottle of GreenDumbells oil back to the specific batch of seeds it was pressed from.
Step 2: Cleaning and Drying
Seeds arrive at our pressing facility and are first cleaned using air classification — a physical process that uses airflow to separate seeds from foreign matter, soil particles, and broken or diseased seeds. No chemicals are used in cleaning. Seeds are then sun-dried or gently warm-air-dried (below 40 degrees Celsius) to reach optimal moisture content for pressing — typically 5-7% moisture for mustard and sunflower, slightly higher for coconut.
Moisture content is critical: seeds with too much moisture can develop off-flavours during pressing. Seeds that are too dry can generate more friction and heat during pressing, partially defeating the purpose of cold processing. Our target temperature during pressing is consistently below 40 degrees Celsius.
Step 3: Cold Pressing in Small Batches
GreenDumbells uses stainless steel cold press expellers — modern versions of the traditional ghani press that achieve the same low-temperature, high-pressure mechanical extraction without the maintenance complexity of wooden presses. The expeller is monitored continuously during pressing: if the barrel temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius, pressing is paused until temperature falls. This monitoring is the single most important quality control step.
Oil drips from the press into a collection vessel and passes through a fine stainless steel filter that removes solid seed particles. No bleaching clay, no activated carbon, no chemical deodorisation. What comes out of the press is what goes into your bottle, with only physical filtration applied.
We press in batches of 100-200 litres maximum. Small batches mean we can monitor every step of every pressing run. Industrial-scale cold pressed oil production at thousands of litres per day makes this monitoring impractical — which is one reason we stay small-batch.
Step 4: Settling and Quality Testing
Freshly pressed oil is allowed to settle for 24-48 hours in stainless steel settling tanks. Natural sediment — fine plant particles that passed through the filter — settles to the bottom. The clear oil above is carefully decanted into packaging, leaving the sediment behind. This decanting is the only ‘filtration’ step that removes the natural sediment you may have seen described as a quality indicator of cold pressed oil.
Before packaging, every batch is tested in our in-house lab and by external certified labs. Tests include: free fatty acid content (an indicator of freshness), peroxide value (a measure of oxidation, which affects both quality and shelf life), moisture content, colour by spectrophotometric analysis, and — for mustard oil — allyl isothiocyanate content as a purity indicator. Results are logged against the batch number.
Step 5: Packaging in Light-Protective Containers
Light is the primary enemy of cold pressed oil quality — UV radiation degrades both the flavour compounds and the antioxidants in cold pressed oils within days of exposure. GreenDumbells oils are packed in dark PET bottles or dark glass, depending on the product and quantity. We do not use clear bottles regardless of aesthetic appeal — clear bottles are convenient to display but actively harmful to the oil inside.
Bottles are nitrogen-flushed before sealing — the air above the oil is replaced with inert nitrogen gas, significantly slowing oxidation during storage. Each bottle is sealed with an induction seal and labelled with the batch number, pressing date, and best-before date — calculated from the actual pressing date, not a generic production date.
Step 6: Storage and Distribution
Finished bottles are stored in a cool, dark warehouse before dispatch. We do not hold finished oil inventory for more than 4-6 weeks — cold pressed oil is at its best in the first 3 months after pressing, and we try to ship product that has been recently pressed rather than sitting in a warehouse for months.
We ship with packaging designed to protect bottles during transit — padding that prevents breakage and insulated packaging for orders going to high-temperature regions during summer. If you receive a bottle with damaged packaging that compromises the oil, contact us — we replace it.
What We Do Not Do (And Why It Matters)
We do not blend cold pressed oil with refined oil to increase volume. We do not add chemical preservatives. We do not use hexane or any chemical solvent at any stage of extraction. We do not use chemical deodorisation — if our oil smells strongly, that is the oil being honest about itself. We do not buy seeds from unknown commodity traders. We do not use clear bottles because they look
better on a shelf.
These are not just product specifications — they are commitments. The value of a brand like GreenDumbells is entirely dependent on the trust of families who choose our products for their health. Violating that trust is not something we can do and remain who we say we are.