Frequently asked questions

Why do you call Soilmates Avocado Oil the best oil in the world?

Because it is! Especially when it comes to cooking. Soilmates Avocado Oil is packed with nutrients and vitamins – there is 45% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin E in just one spoonful (15ml). Soilmates Avocado Oil is also packed with unsaturated fats (the good kind!), antioxidants and omegas. We can go on and on. It’s nothing but avocados, after all. 100% natural.

But the best part? Its high smoke point – this is what ensures that none of Soilmates Avocado Oil’s goodness is lost even when cooking at temperatures up to 270°C. It’s unique – the only natural oil that can get this high. We love that!

Avocado Oil vs other oils: what’s the difference?

Olive oil: the key difference? Soilmates Avocado Oil has a higher smoke point: 270°C vs olive oil’s 170°C. When roasting, say, potatoes you want the crust to be crispy so you turn the fire up high – 180°C, 200°C, 220°C, hot, hot, hot! Soilmates Avocado Oil can handle this heat without losing any nutrients.

Soilmates Avocado Oil has a milder and more delicate taste than any other oils. Coconut oil tastes like, well, coconuts. Olive oil like olives. Not all ingredients are a good match for these strong flavours. Soilmates Avocado Oil’s neutral taste complements whatever meal you choose to prepare. It enhances the flavour of your food – it doesn’t overpower it.

What is a smoke point?

The smoke point is the temperature at which your oil starts to visibly smoke in the pan. Once an oil – any oil – has reached its smoke point, flavour is changed, nutrients are lost, and, most importantly, free radical compounds can be created that are damaging to your health. Eeek! With a smoke point of 270°C this isn’t something you need to worry about when cooking with Soilmates Avocado Oil. So go on: make the fire higher!

Why is the oil refined instead of cold-pressed?

We love uglys – the rejected, the bruised, the damaged. But they contain impurities and imperfections that we need to remove, even after pressing. Refining gets rid of these, which means we can use *all* of the uglys. Without this process, we cannot rescue them.

What we’re left with after refining is a healthy, shelf-stable product devoid of impurities, with as much of the avocados’ natural goodness retained as possible, making it safe for you to cook with and enjoy.

What is blended in Soilmates Avocado Oil?

Absolutely nothing. Soilmates Avocado Oil is an all-natural single ingredient product. Sixty ugly avocados per litre. Thirty ugly avos per bottle. That’s it.

What are ugly avos?

Ugly avos are the avocados that don’t make the beauty cut for supermarkets. They are known in the industry as ‘second grade’ or ‘class two’ avocados, and are classified as such because of bruising, being too ripe (or not ripe enough) or simply because they’re a different shape to the average avo! We rescue them and give them purpose. After all, it’s the inside that’s filled with power nutrients.

We give the uglys a new life by pressing the health out of them.

Wasted avocados, why is that a problem?

Well, food waste is a scary thing. Did you know that food waste contributes 6-8% of all greenhouse gas emissions? And that one third of all food produced is wasted? Such a shame.

In Europe alone, over 20% of all avocados are thrown away because they aren’t perfect. That’s over one million kgs per week. Over half a million avocados per day.

Fighting food waste is at the heart of what Soilmates do. We upcycle waste avocados – those ‘too ugly’ to sell in supermarkets – and turn them into affordable, healthy, everyday products.

But, food waste, for us, isn’t just about feeding people, fighting hunger – it’s about protecting the environment. A healthy soil. No more palm oil. We’ve rescued millions of avocados so far: our mission, however, is to upcycle 100,000,000 uglys per year – we want to reach this goal by 2025. Fighting food waste means working towards a better, fairer and more sustainable world for all.

Got ideas on how we can make even more of an impact? Yes, we love that! Share them with us: we are all Soilmates.

Will Soilmates Avocado Oil make my food taste like avocado?

Nope! Soilmates Avocado Oil is mild, neutral, practically tasteless. It will add an almost-indistinguishable flavour to your food… along with a good healthy boost of nutrients.

What can I cook with Soilmates Avocado Oil?

What you really should be asking is what can’t you cook with Soilmates Avocado Oil. Drizzle it on your toast (just like butter but better!). Or use it to grill a steak. Bake a cake. Fry your eggs up in it. Mix it up as a marinade for BBQ’d meat, fish or veg. Add a splash to your soup. Coat a potato in Soilmates Avocado Oil before popping it in the oven. Drizzle it over a salad. Add a spoonful to your smoothies and drink up those nutrients. Your options are endless!

Is there anything else I can do with Soilmates Avocado Oil?

Yes! Brush it through hair as a conditioner, use it on dry skin as a moisturiser – you can even add a drop or two to fix a squeaky door or polish your shoes! There’s nothing it can’t do.

Looking for more inspiration? Email our Gastroman, Sander (sander@soilmates.com). Warning: he is overwhelmingly enthusiastic about Soilmates Avocado Oil.