Production

The Tea Tree Plant

A member of the Myrtacea family, the Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) plant grows to a height of 6 metres with a spread of 4 metres, and has white flowers appearing from Spring into the early parts of Summer.

Harvesting & Distillation

Melaleuca alternifolia was originally manually harvested from natural stands. The oil was produced from the harvested material in crude bush stills. Today, Melaleuca alternifolia is grown in plantations and the crop mechanically harvested with modified forage harvesters. Plantation trees are usually harvested every 12-18 months. Some plantations have been able to harvest leaf from their trees for 25 to 30 years. Plantation operators take care to preserve the natural environmental balance and sustain future resources.

The finely cut Melaleuca leaf and twigs is transported to a steam distillation facility where it is processed in specially designed stills to yield the product, Oil of Melaleuca alternifolia or Australian Tea Tree Oil. The vapour rises and is forced through a condenser, the sudden drop in temperature causing it to liquefy and return to oil and water. The separation of these elements produces 100% pure tea tree oil that is then stored for decanting into glass bottles.

Packaging

We store our tea tree oil under optimal conditions to ensure that there is no degradation of the product prior to packaging for sale.

Research has shown that stainless steel is the best construction material for containers during storage and transport of tea tree oil. The quality and shelf life of tea tree oil is further enhanced by:

• Storage in cool areas
• Inert gas capping, to prevent oxidation occurring when tea tree oil is stored for long periods.
• For short-term storage of bulk tea tree oil prior to bottling, quality can be maintained with 'just in time' packaging such as glass and fluorinated HDPE 20 or 25 litre kegs.

Bottled Tea Tree Oil

As part of its responsibility to consumers, the Australian tea tree industry adheres to stringent legal requirements than ensure the quality and safety of its products.

Pure tea tree oil of more than 15ml in volume is bottled in ribbed dark glass bottles and fixed with a child-proof safety cap. Tea tree oil sold in clear glass bottles of greater than 15ml volume is not 100% tea tree oil. Pure tea tree oil should only be stored in clear glass containers for limited periods of time, as over-exposure to light will degrade its quality.

As members of the Australian tea tree industry are commited to excellence, all efforts are made to ensure that loss of quality does not occur during , packaging and transport of their products.

Note that such regulations do not always apply to tea tree oil produced and bottled overseas.