We often get asked if our product is organic or not.

I answer “no” and then there is the inevitable follow up question of “why?”

Firstly, this question isn’t as straight forward as it first seems.
What is it that you really want to know?

Is our product of natural origin?
Yes. We grow flowers, extract their oil and then use this oil as the raw ingredient for an end product with a formulation that is as simple and natural / organic as we can make it.

Do you produce those flowers in accordance with organic growing standards?
No. We have to use herbicide to control grasses and weeds in the field. It simply wouldn’t be possible to farm at an economic scale without them.

Do we have organic status with BioGrow?
No.
This is what “organic” means in New Zealand. It doesn’t mean is your product organic or not, it means have you paid the registration fees to an organisation to be allowed to use that claim/definition on your product.
Currently the cost of obtaining this certification is prohibitively expensive (being quoted to us as costing between $20,000 and $50,000) so is not something that at this stage we are prioritizing.

Can I use your product if I want to be organic?
Yes and No.
Yes. If you are an independent grower we can supply you with a concentrate that is 100% organic. Made from pyrethrum oil in a carrier such as glycerine that is all natural and biodegradable. There will be no residuals and no contamination.
No. If you are a BioGrow certified site then you need to use BioGrow certified products – this means you have to continue to spray your site/crops with a concentrate that is equal parts pyrethrum and keroscene… because this is “organic” means in this case.