Unrefined avocado oil — the cold-pressed, virgin form — keeps the full character of the fruit. It is vivid in colour, expressive on the palate, and best suited to finishing dishes, dressings and gentle cooking. It is the oil you reach for when flavour is the point.
Refined avocado oil is the same oil taken through additional careful steps — degumming, neutralising, bleaching and deodorising — to produce a milder, more neutral oil with an even higher smoke point. Done well, refining preserves the heart of the oil while broadening where it can be used: high-heat cooking, large-scale food manufacturing, and cosmetic formulations where colour and aroma need to be neutral.
At Imara, we produce both. Our refinery in Kenya is built specifically for avocado oil, with processing parameters tuned to protect the oil's structure. The result is refined avocado oil that is clean, stable and food-grade or cosmetic-grade as required — without losing the quiet integrity of the original press.
Which should you choose? For tasting, dressing and gentle heat, unrefined. For high heat, neutral-flavour cooking and industrial use, refined. Both have their place — and both, made well, are worth seeking out.
