Co-Impact Sourcing: The Pursuit - Clove (Translated Subtitles)

<<2>> The essential oil industry is
currently worth ten billion dollars

<<6>> As a largely unregulated market,
the essential oil trade is rampant
With false claims and adulteration

<<23>> In many countries, like Madagascar, analysis of
essential oil purity is insufficient

<<31>> Adulterated oils flood the market, and
unethical oil traders grow rich

<<45>> - [Narrator] There
are 18 tribes

<<46>> scattered across
our Island.

<<48>> We all call
ourselves Malagasy,

<<50>> but our customs
and way of life

<<52>> vary from place
to place.

<<54>> Here in
Mananjary,

<<55>> We are members of
the Antambahoaka tribe,

<<58>> the smallest
tribe in Madagascar.

<<68>> - [Translator] The ocean is on
lifeblood here in Mananjary.

<<71>> We rely on the
water for everything,

<<74>> from fishing and hunting
to plant cultivation.

<<78>> We are surrounded on
one side by saltwater

<<81>> and freshwater
on the other.

<<86>> Some of our largest
exports are coffee, vanilla

<<89>> and a variety of
essential oil crops

<<92>> like vetiver,
cinnamon and clove.

<<104>> There are two
large exporters here,

<<106>> and countless
farmers are running

<<108>> their own small
distilleries.

<<111>> In this
area alone,

<<113>> there are more than 80
small scale distilleries.

<<141>> It's morning

<<148>> (chicken cluck)

<<154>> - [Translator] My name
is Joseph Claudis.

<<157>> That chicken there is
starting to look sick

<<161>> I've been a farmer here in
Mananjary for seven years now.

<<164>> My wife, Rosine and I moved
here after getting married,

<<167>> and we began farming
coffee and rice.

<<183>> - [Translator] We have
a simple life here,

<<184>> on the outskirts
of Mananjary.

<<187>> Each morning, Claudis
feeds the chickens,

<<189>> and prepares
our tools,

<<190>> while I fetch water,
and cook breakfast.

<<194>> (speaks in foreign language)

<<199>> We live in a small
community of close family,

<<202>> where we all take
care of each other.

<<220>> We have a young
son named Claudio,

<<222>> he's seven years old.

<<224>> He always says that he
wants to be a doctor,

<<226>> when he grows up.

<<230>> - [Translator] Claudio's
education is very important to us.

<<233>> Up until a
few years ago,

<<234>> we were still only
planting coffee and rice,

<<237>> but that
wasn't enough.

<<239>> We started planting
clove trees,

<<241>> which provided an
additional income

<<243>> we could use to
send Claudio to school.

<<250>> - [Translator] There
are no doctors,

<<252>> this far away
from the city.

<<253>> If someone needs
to visit the doctor,

<<255>> it can be difficult to
find transportation.

<<258>> We hope that by
sending Claudia to school,

<<260>> he will someday
have the opportunity,

<<262>> to open a clinic
in our area.

<<266>> (whistles)

<<276>> (speaks in foreign language)

<<284>> These ones
are ready

<<291>> - [Translator] Planting clove
isn't enough to make us rich,

<<294>> but it does get
Claudio his education,

<<297>> and also allows us
to save for the future.

<<304>> - [Translator] Many farmers
live far outside of the city,

<<306>> and it's hard for them to
transport their product

<<308>> to the market, where
they can be sold.

<<311>> Because of this,

<<312>> we've seen traders begin
to appear in Mananjary.

<<314>> Men who travel
from farmer to farmer

<<316>> buying out their stock, and
taking it to the market.

<<320>> - [Translator] Middleman
are the biggest challenge.

<<323>> A trader might
go to a farmer,

<<324>> and buy out his
stock of clove

<<326>> then sell it in
the city market

<<328>> for double the
buying price.

<<330>> If the farmer
doesn't sell,

<<332>> he risks his
supplies spoiling.

<<334>> So he's forced
to make a deal.

<<337>> - [Translator] Using
some basic chemistry,

<<339>> a trader can pad their
profits even further.

<<345>> - [Translator]
For a trader,

<<346>> it can be immensely
profitable,

<<348>> to adulterate
an essential oil.

<<350>> When it comes to
clove for example.

<<352>> There are three
parts of the plant,

<<354>> from which oil
is acquired.

<<356>> The stem, the
leaf and the bud.

<<359>> All three oils contain the
same chemical compounds,

<<363>> but the amounts
of each compound

<<365>> vary from one
oil to another.

<<370>> Eugenol acetate is a distinguishing
compound in clove bud

<<376>> The essential oil
derived from the bud

<<377>> is naturally the
most valuable.

<<380>> Being worth double
the clove stem

<<382>> and quadruple
the clove's leaf.

<<387>> To some buyers,

<<389>> high quality oil
isn't a priority.

<<391>> In that kind
of scenario,

<<393>> they may seek out
a cheaper clove oil.

<<395>> The real problem comes
when a customer asks

<<399>> for one thing and
is given another.

<<403>> - [Translator] There's
little access,

<<404>> to chemical testing
equipment in Madagascar.

<<407>> So international buyers
often don't know

<<409>> if their essential
oils are pure,

<<411>> until they're
personally tested.

<<414>> - [Translator] There are many ways to mix oils
to increase profits

<<418>> One method commonly used is adding synthetic
eugenol acetate directly to clove leaf and clove stem

<<424>> In an attempt to mirror
the composition of clove bud

<<428>> To even a sophisticated lab it will
look like clove bud oil.

<<433>> The difference between
pure and synthetic, is almost undetectable

<<445>> - [Translator] Naturally,
most sellers

<<446>> claim their
oils are pure,

<<448>> and it would be difficult
to prove them wrong.

<<451>> To give our buyers confidence
in the oil we produce,

<<454>> we ship our
essential oils

<<455>> to one of the only
labs on the island,

<<457>> in Antananarivo,
our nation's capital.

<<465>> The tests we run in this
lab are not comprehensive,

<<468>> but it gives our buyers some
base levels to go off of.

<<480>> - When essential oils
arrive here at doTERRA,

<<482>> we do a series
of tests

<<484>> to confirm the
purity of the oils.

<<486>> At the quality
control lab,

<<488>> we use an extensive protocol
to ensure the purity.

<<491>> One of the most common
tools in the industry,

<<493>> is the GC-MS, which
is used to identify

<<495>> each individual
chemical compound,

<<498>> present in
the oils.

<<500>> It shows the natural
composition of the oil,

<<502>> and we also use it to
check for adulteration

<<505>> and contamination
with chemicals

<<506>> that are not naturally
present in the oils.

<<510>> GC-MS by itself is not
enough to ensure purity.

<<513>> This is why
at doTERRA,

<<514>> we have additional
testing that looks at

<<516>> organoleptic and physical
properties of the oils.

<<519>> The last thing we do,

<<520>> is to make sure the oils
are free of contaminants,

<<522>> such as heavy metals,
pesticides and microorganisms.

<<526>> Because our sourcing team works
closely with our suppliers,

<<529>> and quality is
insured at the source,

<<532>> we rarely see
adulteration.

<<552>> These farmers, are the heart
of the essential oil industry.

<<559>> and when oil adulteration happens, it not
only cheats consumers from receiving the

<<564>> pure oil they expect

<<567>> But also these farmers that work
so hard to produce it