Peppermint Peppermint (IndiaUSA)

Why the United States and India?

Purposeful Dual Sourcing

Different climates and soils impact the chemical profile of the peppermint plant. By sourcing peppermint from both India and the United States, the doTERRA blend from both locations offers a unique chemistry and profile. This sourcing strategy also provides the opportunity to collaborate with a vast network of producers from different backgrounds. doTERRA’s US peppermint is sourced from a multi-generational family farm, and Indian peppermint is sourced from small-scale farmers in remote areas in northern India. This dual-sourcing approach provides opportunities to source and impact more farmers and to benefit from a variety of different farm models.

United States

In the United States, peppermint is sourced in Oregon. It is a hybrid of water mint and spearmint and grows as a perennial plant on the same field for a number of years. It’s a green herb that propagates from the rhizomes, meaning that as a branch touches the ground, it will root and sprout again from there, spreading outward in all directions. Starting out green when it’s young, the plant turns red or purple in maturity, blooming in a light lavender-colored flower. Oregon has an ideal climate for growing peppermint because of the consistent and heavy rainfall each year. This contributes to a high menthol content, which gives peppermint its minty aroma and flavor.

India

Some of the northern states in India have climates that are also suited for optimal mint cultivation. doTERRA peppermint from India is grown in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Peppermint cultivation provides a significant source of income for many farmers there, supporting local economies. Indian Peppermint is also the variety found in the doTERRA AromaTouch blend. Two of the three main Indian growing seasons are usually used to produce food crops, but oftentimes the middle growing season goes unutilized. This middle growing season is perfect for cultivating peppermint as an annual crop (unlike in the U.S. where it is a perennial). Peppermint is an important cash crop for thousands of Indian farmers and their families—the vast majority of whom are small producers with land holdings under 2 hectares. By sourcing some Peppermint from India, doTERRA can also support smallholder farmer production there.

How Does it Work?

Harvest and Production Process – United States

In the US, peppermint is harvested just once a year over a period of 10 very busy summer days. The family farmers who doTERRA sources from will cultivate a peppermint crop for 355 days of the year, and then harvest for ten days, carefully choosing harvest time for optimal ripeness. After harvest, they’ll go right back to cultivating and maintaining the crop for the next season. Because it grows as a perennial in the US, peppermint is not replanted each year but instead carefully cultivated year after year. US farmers who harvest more than once might be able to earn more money from their crops, but the higher quality oil comes to those farmers who wait and let the leaves ripen to their higher potential. After harvest, the cut peppermint leaves, flowers, and stems from the top part of the plant are allowed to dry for 2-3 days before being steam distilled. Used biomass after harvest and distillation is reused as mulch, or green manure, to support the next year’s growth.

Harvest and Production Process – India

In India, doTERRA’s sourcing partner has empowered the development of some “Superfarmers”—experienced agricultural leaders who play a pivotal role in empowering smallholder farmers throughout Uttar Pradesh. These Superfarmers provide real-time technical guidance, helping local farmers adopt best practices in peppermint cultivation, manage agricultural inputs, and harvesting. Superfarmers also promote sustainable practices such as crop rotation and biomass reuse, significantly boosting yields and incomes. The peppermint is planted each year using roots that are kept in a nursery plot of land either on the farmer’s own land, or they can purchase the roots from a nursery producer. Peppermint is propagated through cuttings rather than seeds to maintain the quality and consistency of the plant. It is planted in rows with adequate spacing to allow for growth. The farmers prepare the soil and set up proper irrigation systems to ensure consistent moisture levels. Irrigation is essential for the healthy growth of the plant and to increase oil yield. The essential oil comes from the aerial parts of the peppermint plant (everything above the ground). In India, Peppermint is harvested by hand. The harvest season starts in June and continues into July. Peppermint is usually harvested twice a season but sometimes it can only be harvested once a season due to monsoons. When peppermint is ready to harvest, it is cut down to the ground, then left in the field for up to 24 hours to dry. After harvesting peppermint, smallholder farmers in India take their harvest to nearby community distillation units to distill the harvested material. The harvested peppermint is cleaned and chopped into small pieces to facilitate the extraction process. The chopped material is placed in the distillation apparatus where steam is passed through it. The steam extracts the essential oil from the plant, the steam and oil mixture is condensed into a liquid form, and the oil and water are separated into different collectors. Mint is usually distilled within 48 hours of harvest, and it takes 4-6 hours to distill a batch of oil. It takes about three pounds of peppermint leaves to produce one 15 mL bottle. The spent biomass—plant material that has already been distilled—is used to fuel the distillation boilers, creating a more sustainable process. In India, after distillation, farmers can take their peppermint oil directly to designated collection centers operated by the sourcing partner. Some of these centers are equipped with gas chromatographs (GCs) and basic laboratory equipment to conduct primary-level purity tests, while others rely on simpler tools for initial assessments.