FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• Is Santa Margarita a trader or a processor and exporter of products?.
We are processors and exporters. We are at the very beginning of the supply chain working with collectors and suppliers, we process the raw materials we source and we export the final product to our customers. We take care of each stage at the supply chain: from the field to the destination.

• Where are the company´s facilities located?
The company´s facilities are located in the VIII Bio Bio Region of Chile, specifically in the city of Los Ángeles which is 110 km far from Concepción and 500 km south of Santiago, the capital Chile. Because of our location, we have directly access to the sourcing areas where our raw materials come from.

• ¿Are the botanicals raw material delivered by Santa Margarita grown widely or cultivated?
Raw materials grown as cultivate crops or in the wild. In the product page of each product there is a description of the product which indicates if the product is cultivated as a crop or grown in the wild.

• ¿Are raw materials traded in dried or fresh form?
All raw materials are traded in dried form

• ¿When does drying takes place?
Hola Drying takes place in Santa Margarita´s facilities after harvesting. The freshly harvested materials are taken to the drying plant either by Santa Margarita or by the suppliers themselves in appropriate means of transportation.

• How are your products produced? What is the path that your products travel from the origin to the dispatch to the client?
Collection —-Reception in STM facilities—Quality control——Loading on trays—-Drying—-Unloading—Processing: Cutting, Milling, Sieving, Mixing—Packaging. If you need a detailed flow chart process, please contact us here.

• What are the raw material Santa Margarita process come from?
Our raw materials come from long term agreements with farmers who collect the products that grown in the wilderness or have their own plantations. They have been working with us for the last there decades and know we are integrating the second generation of them so they can continue the valuable work which their own parents started. We are aware that product safety begins at the source of origin and that is why we have implemented a responsible collection practices so the people and the land where our raw materials comes from can be improved each day. Proof of this is that we are continuously training collectors ad suppliers we work with so the recollection is done in a sustainable way; this is by taking care of the environment; the safety of the people who are involved in collection, the work with the communities which are close to the collection areas and the payment the collectors receive.

• What does your drying method consist of?
The products we process are air-dried. This means that they are dried inside dryings chamber where the air circulates in an opposite direction and pass through the raw materials that are inside the chamber. For effective drying, the air should be hot, dry and moving. Raw materials are dried until they have the desired final moisture content.

• What are the main areas of application of the product sold by Santa Margarita?
The botanicals raw materials sold by Santa Margarita have different areas of applications: pharmaceutical preparations; herbal and fruit infusions, soups, bakery and the like. If you need further assistance to find the right product for a specific area of application, please contact us to assist you.

• Are there any additives added to your products?
No, they are no additives added. They are 100% all-natural, meaning that the only ingredient is the part plant used itself. Our products contain no sulphites, added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavours, or artificial colours

• Can I request a sample of one or more of the products you produce?
Yes. To request one or more samples, please click here.

• If I need a product that it does not appear on your website, can you produce it?.
In our website we show the main products we work with. We have an experience of 40 years and we are located in the VIII Region which is strategically located to source different type of natural raw materials. If you need a product that does not appear in our website, please click here and we will provide you with the information you need.

• If I am thinking of buying any of your products as an ingredient, and I don’t know what the specifications that this ingredient should have. What can I do?
If you need advice and assistance with selecting the right product for you, or with changing our standard product specification, we are glad to help you by phone, email or during an on-site visit to our premises.
Please, contact us here.

• What types of cuts can you produce? If I require a different cut, it is possible?
We can produce coarse cut, fine cut and powder for rosehips, berries and herbs. We have flexibility with cut size, therefore if you need a special cut, please lets us know and we will work with you to offer the size cut you need.

• How I can now if the sample I request is in its way or not?.
An email with the relevant information will be sent to you as soon as the sample is on their way.

• Can you ship directly?
Yes, we work with different shipping companies which allows us to handle the shipping in a convenient way in terms of the freight cost and the transit time so we can deliver the product opportunely.

• Is there a minimum quantity to purchase your products?
No, there is not a minimum quantity. We will look at the most efficient way, in terms of cost and transit time, to ship your products.

• Are Rainforest Alliance certified products (RAF) also organic products?
Not necessarily. An organic product is not necessarily a Rainforest Alliance product and a Rainforest Alliance product is not necessarily an organic product. If you require simultaneous double certification, please inform us.