IFEAT Announces Destination for 2012 Study Tour

The International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades (IFEAT) announced its 2012 Study Tour, which will take place Aug. 11–20, 2012, and will travel to South America, visiting locations in Paraguay and Brazil. And though the Paraguay portion of the tour has already sold out, the Brazil portion does still offer a limited number of spaces.

This study tour has been designed to allow participants to gain an intimate knowledge of the production, processing, trading and research on citrus and other essential oils, extracts and derivatives in Brazil and Paraguay. Brazil is a major supplier of citrus oils, especially orange oil, and several other natural essential oils, including eucalyptus. Paraguay is a major producer of petitgrain and guaiacwood oils, as well as several other essential oils including mint oil. The timing of the tour has been selected to match the harvest and major distillation time for most of the major essential oils crops in Brazil and Paraguay, and all of the field trips will be accompanied by a knowledgeable member of the local industry who will be able to answer questions in detail on the plantations, processing operations and associated marketing systems.

Activities on the study tour include a visit to the Fazenda Alpina organic farm and distillation and extraction units; a stop at Dierberger Organic Farm to learn about organic farming practices of green mandarin, bergamot, bitter orange, lemon and eucalyptus varieties; a session at Tres Barras, a eucalyptus citriadora distillation plant and nursery, where tour participants will learn about Tres Barras replanting program and its commitment to the environment while touring a plantation and witnessing the harvesting of the leaves; a stop at Cutraleís Araraquara factory that allows for a tour of the plant and its quality control facilities to see how orange oil, dílimonene and orange juice are produced, as well as a visit to the orange groves; time at the Louis Dreyfus Bebedouro orange plant, which will offer a technical presentation and the chance for participation in a plant tour highlighting orange juice and by-product recovery, and to see how orange oil, dílimonene and orange juice are produced; a stop at Chaco to tour the expansive area and see guaiacwood trees growing in the wild, visit a distillery and see how guaiacwood oil is produced, as well as a visit to an Australian-designed water reservoir to learn how water is captured and preserved in this desert climate; a session at the Petitgrain distillery and farm, with a tour of the manicured Petitgrain fields and presentations on how the leaves are harvested and the oil is produced; a visit to the Alpacasa distillation plant—a producer of vetiver, guaicawood and cabreuva oils, and guaiyl acetate—to tour their nearby fields and nursery; and more.

Open only to members of IFEAT. The participation limit is 35 people for Brazil and 14 people for Paraguay. Bookings will be accepted by IFEAT on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit www.ifeat.org/study to learn more.

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