I make 'world's healthiest' oil from canola seeds

For the past seven years, a farmer from Nyeri has been drawing from a rich well few are aware of. He processes a healthy cooking liquid —canola oil — from canola seeds that he buys from farmers in various parts of the county.

David Kimondo does this magic at his Canola Oil Industries in Mweiga town, Kieni constituency. Canola oil is touted as one of the world’s healthiest cooking oils because of its rich and healthy components.

Kimondo established the oil processing factory in 2006 after accidentally stumbling on canola seeds at a private ranch in Nanyuki.

“Back then, I was a farm hand at a private ranch owned by a Canadian who used to process the seeds to make oil which he would package and sell in local stores. I got curious and asked him to explain to me what he was doing, but he dismissed my inquiries,” Kimondo says.

Not being one to give up easily, Kimondo began to research on canola seeds and its oil. After several unsuccessfully attempts of trying to extract oil from the seeds, he finally figured out how to cold press the seeds and produce oil.

“I watched closely what he was doing till I got it right. It was a discovery that changed my life,” he recalls.

He used his savings and started on the journey of making canola oil. That is how Canola Oil Industries came to be.

“My first batch of oil was not the best quality but with the help of Kenya Bureau of Standards, I gradually improved on the product. Now I produce clean and top range cooking oil which I sell,” Kimondo says.

Launching the product in the market was not a walk in the park, he says. Marketing the unknown product to locals has been a toll order.

“I expected that people would embrace my product easily because it is known worldwide that canola oil has various benefits compared to other cooking oils in the market, but that was not the case. Most supermarkets refused to stock my products despite being certified by Kebs,” Kimondo says.

Canola cake

Tough as the journey was, he refused to give up and continued to sell his canola oil in his small shop in Mweiga.

He also went door to door selling the oil, marketed it in agriculture exhibitions and regional shows. Now the market is slowly starting to accept his oil as more people become aware of its health benefits.

“Canola oil has Omega 3, 6, and omega 9, and a sulphur compound which has been proven to fight cancer cells,” Kimondo says.

He says his canola oil has more nutritional value than other cooking fats because of the process he uses to produce it.

“I cold press my oil, which means I manually squeeze the oil from the seeds, while other oils are refined which means they use chemical processes to extract the oil from the various grains or seeds,” Kimondo explains.

Four to five kgs of canola seeds produce a litre of canola oil which he sells at Sh400. After pressing the oil from the seeds, the husks of the seeds are compounded into a cake which can be used as animal feed.

“Canola cake which is a by product of the oil, is a great nutritional supplement for animals because it’s rich in proteins. Dairy farmers can confess that it increases their cows’ milk production by a significant amount,” he says.

Because of that advantage, he says he has a ready market from local dairy farmers who flock his farm for it.

“A good number of dairy farmers come to my farm to buy this cake because it helps their cows produce more milk. The demand for this byproduct is so high, sometimes I have nothing to sell to them,” he says.

Marketing

The farmer does not grow canola seeds because the area is not favourable for growth of the crop. In warm climates, the seeds only require 75 days to mature while in cold climates, the seeds take three months to mature.

“I planted four acres of canola seeds but they did poorly because of the cold climate. Because I need the seeds to produce the oil, I am forced to hire farmers from Narok East specifically in Enkale to grow it for me,” Kimondo says.

He says wheat growing areas are ideal for growing the canola seeds. Unfortunately most wheat farmers consider the canola seeds as weeds and therefore they destroy it after it matures.

“When maize farmers in Narok were affected by diseases last year, I approached them with the idea and they were very receptive. In August, I am expecting the 10,000kgs of canola seeds from 100 farmers in Narok East,” Kimondo reveals.

He continues: “One acre can accommodate four kgs of canola seeds which yield 2,000kgs of canola seeds upon harvest. I buy this from the farmers at Sh35 per kg.”

The biggest challenge the farmer is facing is marketing his product. “I may be facing challenges in marketing my canola oil, because my competitors are big shots, but I believe that my product is superior and will eventually gain the popularity it deserves,” Kimondo says.

Another problem is meeting the high demand of the canola cake which livestock farmers order for.

“The only way to meet the demand for the canola oil and cake is to increase the number of farmers providing me with canola seeds,” he offers.

Kimondo now urges the government to train farmers on how to grow canola seeds.