Traditionally, rosin and terpene are extracted using either labour intensive processes or industrial processes which employ the use of the environmentally and physically dangerous chemical, such as hexane or caustic soda and sodium sulphides or sulphuric acid.

Tappers – Crude Wood or Exudates is collected from incisions (tappers) made in the tree trunk which is then distilled into terpens and rosin (gum rosin and terpenes). This process is seasonal and highly labour intensive. This process is the primary production process used in China and ROW. Solvent Extraction – Pine chemicals are extracted using petroleum-based solvents such as hexane and then distilled to separate terpenes and rosin (wood rosin and terpenes). Crude Tall Oil – A by-product of the pulp making process is fractionated to produce rosin and terpenes (tall oil rosin and terpenes) whilst CTO is renewable, it is an environmentally unfriendly process as it creates serious waste streams with potentially harmful impacts.

Foresta (NZ) process replaces Hexane with a natural organic solvent, this process does not leave any unnatural residues in the final product creating a unique, completely environmentally friendly process that makes our products suitable for all downstream processing, including food grade products. Furthermore, we use stumps and other parts of the tree which would normally be considered a waste product or low-value wood under existing forest management practices. This allows us to increase our efficiency and productivity, reduce waste, and reduce our carbon footprint. By harvesting stumps, forest owners can improve the productivity of their land and encourage improvement in reforestation.