Permaculture agarwood · Chon Buri, Thailand

Grown with care.

We grow agarwood the slow way — on living, permaculture land in Chon Buri, where the trees are given the time they need.

See the plantation Learn more

Our plantation, photographed on site Illustrative footage

What we do

The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree.

Agarwood forms deep inside the Aquilaria tree as a natural response, slowly turning pale wood into dark, fragrant heartwood. Distilled, it becomes oud oil — one of the most treasured natural materials in perfumery.

Agarwood Eco Capital is dedicated to producing the world's best quality sustainable agarwood using permaculture principles, and to building a reliable supply chain from seedling to finished product while giving back to the local community.

1999Samuel Peebles, CEO, in Thailand since

20+ yrsNadeem Khan, co-founder, in agarwood

21 raiMain plantation in Chon Buri

3–4 yrsApproximate age of the trees at our main plantation

The plantation

From bare ground to young forest.

Land prepared by hand, seedlings raised in our own nursery, and rows of Aquilaria growing alongside the plants that keep the soil alive.

Rows of young Aquilaria trees with a drip irrigation line — Young Aquilaria rows

A young sapling planted in freshly turned soil — A new sapling

Seedlings growing under a shade net in the nursery — Our nursery

Young agarwood trees growing among grasses — Young grove

Workers unloading potted saplings from a truck on planting day — Planting day

Tall, mature Aquilaria trunks in a stand — Mature stand

Rows of young trees planted across a gentle slope — Rows across the slope

Nursery staff moving trays of seedlings — Nursery team at work

A healthy Aquilaria sapling among grasses — Growing in a living system

Trays of seedlings loaded on a truck for delivery — Seedlings on their way

Established trees with slender trunks in neat rows — Established trees

A field cleared and prepared for planting — Land prepared for planting

Tall trees rising above the understorey — Tall stand

Team members inspecting trees on the plantation — On site

A water channel and pond on the plantation — Water held on the land

Young trees in rows under a wide sky — Rows under open sky

Young trees spaced across open ground — Room to grow

All photographs on this site are of our own plantations and nursery.

The lifecycle

One line, from nursery to oil.

01 / 08

Nursery

Seedlings are raised in our own nursery, under shade netting, until they are strong enough for the field.

02 / 08

Planting

Saplings are set out on land prepared by hand, spaced to leave room for the plants that share the soil with them.

03 / 08

Growth

For years the trees grow among cover crops and native plants. Compost, mulch and water held on the land keep them healthy without synthetic chemicals.

04 / 08

Resin formation

Specialists inoculate the trees, timing the work to climate and environmental conditions. As resin forms inside the trunk, pale wood slowly darkens into fragrant heartwood — a change measured in years.

05 / 08

Harvest

Agarwood is harvested once the heartwood has developed, and the resinous wood is separated from the pale wood.

06 / 08

Chips

Resinous wood is cut into chips and graded. Warmed on charcoal, it releases agarwood's deep, unmistakable fragrance.

07 / 08

Oil

Distilled, the resinous wood becomes oud oil — a treasured ingredient in fine fragrance and attar.

08 / 08

Leaves

Agarwood leaves can also be dried for tea.

How we grow

Permaculture, not monoculture.

Organic agriculture sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. We rely on ecological processes and biodiversity rather than synthetic inputs.

Prepared soil with young plants set out in rows

Soil, enriched naturally

Compost, green manures and cover crops build soil structure and feed the microbes that keep the trees healthy.

Young trees growing among mixed vegetation

Natural pest balance

A biodiverse plantation, beneficial insects and plant-based repellents keep pests in check without synthetic chemicals.

Water, held on the land

Ponds and drip lines keep water where the trees need it, through dry months and wet.

The agarwood market

Why time is the ingredient.

Agarwood's character deepens as resin develops over years. Oud oil is a key ingredient in many of the world's finest fragrances, and supply of high-grade natural agarwood remains limited.

Resin development over time

Illustrative

1Years

0%Resin development

DevelopingIndicative grade

Relative value by grade

Illustrative

Superior100
Fine58
Commercial24
Developing8

Form	Typical use
Oud oil	Fine fragrance and attar
Chips	Incense, burned on charcoal
Powder	Incense sticks and cones
Leaves	Agarwood leaf tea

Charts are illustrative and show general market characteristics only. They are not data about Agarwood Eco Capital's plantations, and nothing on this website is an offer, a forecast or a promise of returns.

Location

Chon Buri, Thailand.

Our main plantation is in Chon Buri province on Thailand's eastern seaboard — about an hour's drive from Bangkok. We also own a site in Prachinburi with hundreds of wild agarwood trees, and work with partners in Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Thailand — tropical climate, native range of Aquilaria
The eastern seaboard, south-east of Bangkok
Chon Buri — home of our main plantation

Chon Buri — on Thailand's eastern seaboard, an hour from Bangkok. Home of our main plantation.

Associates

Our associates.

Part of a long-standing network in artisanal oud and natural perfumery.

Recognition & membership

Three Ouddict gold award medals: Al Hashimi, Artisanal Vendor of the Year 2018, 2019 and 2020 — Al Hashimi — Artisanal Vendor of the Year, Gold Award 2018, 2019 and 2020 (Ouddict)

Community Enterprise of Agarwood Club of Thailand emblem — Member of the Community Enterprise of Agarwood Club of Thailand

Get in touch