From Seed to Oil: How We Make Berry Seed Oils

At Berry Beautiful, our process starts with the seed. We dry, clean, cold press, filter, bottle and ship our berry seed oils ourselves, giving us direct control over how our products are made from beginning to end.

We are a family owned Washington manufacturer, retail brand and ingredient supplier. Our process is intentionally hands-on because berry seed oils are agricultural ingredients. How the seed is handled, dried, pressed, filtered and stored all matters.

From red raspberry seed sourced during the Northwest berry harvest to cranberry seed oil and berry seed powders, our goal is simple: make useful, high quality ingredients from seeds that might otherwise be treated as a byproduct of the fruit industry.

Seed Sourcing

Each year, Northwest berry growers harvest red raspberries during a short summer window. In Whatcom County, Washington, raspberries grow in a region shaped by cool nights, warm days and rich agricultural history.

During harvest season, berries move quickly from the fields into processing. Some fruit is packed for retail and food service, while other fruit is made into puree, juice and other berry ingredients. As part of that process, the seeds are separated from the fruit stream.

That is where our work begins. Instead of seeing berry seeds as waste, we see them as the starting point for cold pressed oils and seed powders. Working close to the berry harvest helps keep the supply chain shorter, more transparent and more connected to the crops we use.

Drying

Fresh raspberry seeds come out of fruit processing wet, heavy and unstable. Before they can be stored, cleaned, pressed or milled, they need to be dried carefully and handled at the right time during harvest.

We dry raspberry seeds at low temperatures, below 120°F, to stabilize the seed while preserving as much of its natural character as possible. Proper drying is one of the most important steps in our process because it prepares the seed for cold pressing throughout the year.

This is also one of the biggest differences between our work and a typical retail oil brand. We are not simply buying finished oil from a distributor. We are involved from the seed stage forward.

Cleaning and Preparing the Seed

After drying, the seeds are cleaned and prepared for pressing. This means breaking up clumps, removing unwanted material and making sure the seed can move through the press consistently.

Berry seeds are small, hard and unique to work with. They do not behave like larger oilseeds, and they require equipment knowledge, patience and regular adjustment. Over the years, we have learned how to handle them in a way that protects both the oil quality and the flow of production.

Cold Pressing

We cold press our seeds mechanically in small batches throughout the year. The oil is extracted without solvents, chemicals, enzymes or refining steps. We do not bleach, deodorize or strip the oils to make them lighter in color or more neutral in aroma.

The result is raw, virgin berry seed oil with its natural color, aroma and character intact. Red Raspberry Seed Oil is naturally rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E compounds, while Cranberry Seed Oil has its own unique profile and deep golden color.

Cold pressing also creates another useful ingredient: the pressed seed material. Depending on the seed and product, this material can be milled into berry seed powder or fiber for nutrition, formulation and other applications.

Filtering and Bottling

After pressing, the oil is mechanically filtered to remove fine seed particles and prepare it for use. We filter our oils in house at our facility on Vashon Island, Washington.

From there, we bottle and package our products ourselves. This includes retail bottles, larger sizes and bulk containers for formulators, manufacturers and other businesses.

Keeping pressing, filtering, bottling and shipping in house helps us maintain direct control over the process. It also means that when customers ask us how an oil was made, how it was handled or where it came from, we can answer from experience.

In-House Production

All of our oils and powders are produced and packaged at our food grade facility on Vashon Island, WA. We are also USDA Organic manufacturers for our certified organic production, with additional documentation and handling requirements for organic oils and powders.

We use some of the oils we press to create herbal infusions, serums and formulated skincare products. Ivonne grows, dries and works with herbs like lavender, calendula and other botanicals, using our own oils as the foundation for finished skincare.

Producing and packaging our products ourselves keeps the process close to home. It also reduces unnecessary handling and transportation because our oils do not need to be shipped away to another facility for filling, labeling or fulfillment.

Sustainability Practices

Sustainability is built into the way we work. Our process gives berry seeds a second life by turning a fruit processing byproduct into oils, powders and fibers for skincare, personal care, nutrition, formulation and other applications.

Over the years, we have diverted more than one million pounds of seed material from the waste stream. We also keep many steps in house, from drying and pressing to bottling and shipping, which helps reduce unnecessary transportation and gives us more control over quality.

For us, sustainability is practical. It means using what is already grown, producing close to the source and making useful ingredients with as little unnecessary processing as possible.

Watch Our Process in Action

See how we transform berry seeds into cold pressed oils and seed powders: