ARGANE AOUZAC

Founder Alban Colon de Franciosi first fell in love with Tazghlilte in the Anti-Atlas mountains ten years ago. He was visiting a friend in the region of Taroudant when he noticed the abundance of argan trees—and the opportunity to stimulate the local economy by creating fair and sustainable employment for local women. He relocated and set up an argan oil processing facility. The first in Morocco to be certified organic and Fair Trade, they now export their oil all over the world.ARGANE AOUZAC works with over 450 women in five villages to collect the fallen fruits, remove the flesh and hand-crack them to extract the kernel. They’re paid Fair Trade prices for their work, and their wages are handed directly to each woman – not their husband. Men in the region commonly leave to work in Casablanca shortly after getting married, only returning one or two months out of the year. As a result, women and children make up over 80% of the population – and the responsibility of caring for their families and the village has fallen on their shoulders.