Hoja De Laurel Laurel Leaf (Albania)

Essential Oil Heritage in Albania

Albania has a long history of producing essential oil crops because of its ideal climate and fertile soil. doTERRA began working closely with partners in Albania in 2016 to develop a Co-Impact Sourcing® model for producing premium Helichrysum, Laurel Leaf, Lavender, Juniper Berry, and other essential oils and ingredients.

A number of essential oil crops grow beautifully in Albania’s long and dry summers, Mediterranean climate, and rich soil. Their production, with a higher profit margin than traditional crops, helps create and sustain jobs in rural areas, as well as provides higher household incomes for small farmers.

Our sourcing partners in the region, Emiland and Lauren, chose to invest in Albania—Emiland’s home country—not just for its ideal growing conditions, but also to be part of something deeper: the continued blossoming of a country rich in heritage and potential. Rather than looking back, they looked forward—building a rural enterprise that honors Albania’s natural gifts and empowers the newest generations learning from longstanding traditions of herb farming.

Harvest and Production Process

doTERRA sources Laurel Leaf essential oil from southern Albania, where over 80,000 trees have been cultivated since 2021 through the establishment of a nursery that produces thousands of seedlings a year. This setup reduces pressure on wild-growing laurel populations while supplying enough laurel leaf essential oil. Our partner collaborates with a large network of farmers and also runs their own laurel leaf plantation.

These trees thrive on sloping, well-drained soils and are maintained at about five feet tall to facilitate easier harvesting. Once the trees have reached three to four years of maturity, the bushy, dark green leaves and small branches are both mechanically and hand-harvested for essential oil production. The trees can be pruned twice a year (ideally once), with about 30 workers handling the process. Pruning is done close to the ground, and irrigation is necessary for the first three years.

The process of loading the stills, distilling, and then unloading lasts about two hours. The distillery currently processes over four tons per year.

The distillery, built following Esseterre’s high-quality pattern, is located about three hours from Tirana. It’s situated in the center of our sourcing partner’s own laurel trees and other farmers’ plantations, facilitating transportation and reducing logistic costs.

Social Impact

doTERRA has partnered with the Mary Ward Loreto Foundation to support a program aimed at preventing human trafficking for youth living close to Albania’s southern border with Greece, particularly in rural areas.

The program, led by a social worker and psychologist, provides in-person and online training and activities for youth on leadership, healthy relationships, self-realization, community activism, and volunteering service learning. A 10-month training program for state social workers has also been implemented to increase their capacity for rescue, trauma support, and prevention.

Our partner has also donated 200,000 seedlings to the local government to plant around the cities and towns in the area.