Frankincense and myrrh distilled in Colchester
By Matt Sutkoski
Free Press Staff Writer
December 24, 2006
COLCHESTER -- Had Jesus been born now instead of about 2,000 years ago,
the Three Wise Men could have shopped for their frankincense and myrrh
near the tip of Colchester Point.
That's where Ismael Imports is located, in a brightly painted warehouse.
Frankincense
and myrrh resins from East Africa are distilled into oils and liquids
at the warehouse, then sold to manufacturers who turn them into health
supplements, massage oils, beauty products and other goods.
Ismael Imports also makes many of these products and sells them online and in stores, such as Healthy Living.
Co-owner
Jamie Garvey said the business is the only distiller of frankincense
and myrrh in the United States. The reason is connections. Her husband
and co-owner, Mahdi Ibrahim, is originally from Somaliland, a section
of northern Somalia that has declared its independence. Somaliland is
an important source of frankincense and myrrh.
Ibrahim met Garvey when she was a University of Vermont
student. They were married seven years ago and settled in Burlington.
Ibrahim and Garvey liked the scent of frankincense in their home and
thought others might enjoy it, too. The started the business with two
other partners in 2004.
Ibrahim knew that frankincense and myrrh harvesters did not
make much money from their work. "This is an opportunity to create a
new market for them," he said.
Frankincense comes from Boswellia trees; myrrh from Commiphora
trees. Harvesters slash the trees and sap oozes out, hardening into a
crystalline substance. The harvesters take the resin, haul it to Dubai,
and eventually some of it makes its way to Ismael Imports, packed into
former rice bags.
Pop a little frankincense resin from one of the sacks at
Ismael Imports into your mouth and it turns into a breath-freshening
gum that tastes much like spruce.
Ibrahim puts 250 gallons of spring water and roughly 400
pounds of frankincense resin into his distiller for about 12 hours to
produce approximately 14 liters of oil and 55 gallons of
frankincense-tinted water.
The water mostly goes to fragrance companies; the oil, to supplements and massage products.
The
distilling process fills the room with the smell of frankincense, a
sort of sweet, pine odor. "When you distill it, it makes you relaxed,"
Ibrahim said. Aromatherapists use frankincense as an antidepressant,
Garvey said.
Ismael Imports sold a few Christmas frankincense and myrrh product gift baskets, but doesn't emphasize the holiday much.
Overall,
frankincense and myrrh were smart gift-giving choices for the Three
Wise Men, Garvey said. Frankincense body washes tighten the skin,
eliminate fine wrinkles and make hair shine, she said. Ingesting a
little frankincense contributes to vitality, she said.
Ismael Imports, though off to a good start, could use a little
more vitality, Garvey conceded. She's lobbying fragrance companies to
buy Ismael Imports' natural frankincense and myrrh, which is more
expensive than the synthetic frankincense perfume manufacturers usually
turn to.
She said real frankincense has a richer, more complex fragrance, and consumers are increasingly enamored of natural products.
"The natural market is just taking off," Garvey said, "so we're in a good position."
Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
ISMAEL IMPORTS
WHAT: A distiller of frankincense and myrrh.
PRODUCTS: Ismael Imports sells frankincense and myrrh oils and waters to
fragrance makers, aromatherapists, health supplement companies and
other businesses. The Colchester company also sells products online.
ON THE WEB: www.ismaelimports.com