Word of mouth: Arganic, argan oil for the table For centuries Berber women have picked the fruit of the argan tree to turn it into oil for cooking and for nourishing their skin. The oil contains three times the vitamin E of olive oil, has been proved to lower bad cholesterol, and is used in products ranging from body lotion to anti-frizz haircare. Dana Elemara, 28, launched Arganic in 2012, selling culinary argan oil. 'I didn't focus on the health benefits at first because I didn't want to scare away chefs who want something that tastes good," she said. The idea for Arganic came in 2010, when a family friend told Elemara about the argan oil that she had bought in Essaouira, Morocco. Elemara had already left her job as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and was looking to set up her own business ('I thought, why waste my energy on someone else's business?"). She could speak Arabic (her parents are from Iraq) and was intrigued by the oil, so she flew to Essaouira to find out more. I loved the fact that the oil tasted so good but also had medicinal properties," she said. 'I knew there was a risk because argan oil is more expensive than olive oil, but I was fascinated by this ingredient that has been a part of the Berber people's diet for centuries. While juggling a series of temporary jobs Elemara spent two months shadowing Petros, an olive-oil producer in Britain, at the same time trademarking her company's name and seeking advice on the food business. It was a daunting task because there are a lot of legal issues around bringing food into the country," she said. She found a consultant to help with importing issues and made three more trips to find a producer. She is now the British partner of Sidi Yassine, an argan-oil producer in Essaouira, which employs 500 people. The fruit is collected by hand in late summer and left to dry before the outer layer is removed and the inner shell is cracked open using a stone to reveal the seed. For cosmetic oil seeds are pressed immediately; for culinary oil they are lightly toasted first. It takes 15 hours and 30kg of fruit to produce one litre of argan oil, culinary or cosmetic. Elemara used her savings to buy her initial order of 10 litres in 2011, which she sold at a Christmas event at the London restaurant the Dock Kitchen. Her company officially launched in January 2012 and stockists now include Ottolenghi's online deli, Planet Organic and Selfridges. Arganic has won several awards, including, most recently, a Smarta 100 award as one of the 100 most inspiring small businesses in the UK. Elemara imports about 400 bottles of culinary oil a month, plus 80 litres of cosmetic oil, which is sold straight on to cosmetics companies and online. She has recently started supplying cosmetics companies with another Moroccan ingredient, ghassoul clay, mined in the Atlas mountains. Elemara usually visits Morocco three times a year, except when she has to make an emergency dash for supplies, which is what happened just before Christmas. 'I had a big order and couldn't wait for my next delivery, so I flew out and brought two suitcases of oil back with me," she said. 'I didn't want to let anyone down. Sometimes you have to go to extreme measures, but it's fun to live on the edge. A 100ml bottle of culinary oil retails for £15 to £18 (myarganic.co.uk)