What Is Cold-Pressed Oil?

Cold-pressed oil is extracted from oil-rich seeds or nuts using mechanical pressure, without the use of chemical solvents.

Instead of using high heat and extensive processing, the seeds are slowly crushed and pressed to release their natural oil. This traditional approach helps retain the oil’s natural aroma, flavour and character.

At TREFO, we use a traditional Marachekku/Kachi Ghani wood cold-pressing process, inspired by the traditional Indian method of oil extraction.

How TREFO Cold-Pressed Oils Are Made

1. Carefully Selected Seeds

The process begins with the most important ingredient—the raw material.

TREFO sources quality seeds and nuts for its different oils, including:

• Sunflower seeds for TREFO Sunflower Oil
• Groundnuts for TREFO Groundnut Oil
• Sesame seeds for TREFO Sesame Oil
• Coconut for TREFO Coconut Oil

The quality of the raw material plays an important role in determining the flavour, aroma and quality of the finished oil.

2. Cleaning the Seeds

Before pressing, the seeds are carefully cleaned to remove unwanted materials such as dust, stones and other impurities.

Only properly prepared raw materials move on to the pressing stage.

3. Traditional Cold Pressing

This is where the magic happens.

The cleaned seeds or nuts are placed into the traditional cold-pressing machine, where mechanical pressure gradually crushes them and releases their natural oil.

Unlike solvent-based extraction, TREFO’s process does not require chemical solvents such as hexane to extract the oil.

The slower, traditional pressing process helps maintain the natural characteristics of the oil.

4. Natural Oil Separation

Once the oil is extracted, it contains tiny natural particles from the seeds. The oil is allowed to settle and is filtered to remove unwanted solid particles.

The aim is to obtain clean, naturally processed oil while retaining its characteristic colour, aroma and flavour.

5. Quality Checking

Before the oil reaches your kitchen, it goes through quality checks to ensure that it meets TREFO’s standards.

We focus on maintaining the purity and consistency of our oils from extraction to packaging.

6. Carefully Packed for Your Kitchen

Finally, the finished oil is packed and prepared for delivery to homes, shops and customers across Zambia.

From the seed to the bottle, every stage is handled with the goal of bringing you naturally processed cooking oil.

Why Choose Cold-Pressed Oil?

Cold-pressed oils are valued because they undergo less intensive processing than conventional refined oils.

Because the extraction process is mechanical and does not depend on chemical solvent extraction, cold-pressed oils can retain much of the natural character of their source ingredient, including its distinctive flavour and aroma.

However, every oil has its own nutritional profile, so choosing an oil should also depend on how you cook and your overall dietary needs.

TREFO: Traditional Extraction, Modern Kitchen

At TREFO, we want to bring the traditional goodness of cold-pressed oil extraction into modern Zambian kitchens.

Whether you choose the mild character of Sunflower Oil, the rich flavour of Groundnut Oil, the distinctive taste of Sesame Oil, or the versatility of Coconut Oil, each TREFO oil is made with a focus on natural processing and quality.

We believe cooking oil should be more than just an ingredient. It should be something you can confidently add to the meals you prepare for the people you love.

From Seeds to Your Kitchen

Quality seeds → Careful cleaning → Traditional cold pressing → Natural settling & filtration → Quality checks → Your kitchen

That’s the TREFO approach.

TREFO Cold-Pressed Cooking Oils — 100% pure and naturally processed.

Choose purity. Choose quality. Choose TREFO.