We broker vegetable and technical oils, with the emphasis on grades that sit outside the food chain: technical and non-food grades, acid oils, soapstock, PFAD, palm acid oil and distillers corn oil, alongside crude and refined palm, soy, rape, sunflower and corn oil. Most of what we place is heading into an oleochemical, feed or energy outlet rather than a food one, which changes the specification that matters and the buyer that pays best.
What we work with
- Crude and refined oils: CPO, CPKO, RBD palm oil and olein, soybean, rapeseed/canola, sunflower and corn oil.
- Technical and non-food grades: oils that are off-spec for food use, or produced deliberately for industrial and energy outlets.
- Acid oils and soapstock: from chemical and physical refining, priced on total fatty acid content rather than on volume.
- PFAD and palm acid oil (PAO): palm fatty acid distillate and the acid oil fraction; both with feedstock-status questions worth settling early.
- Distillers corn oil (DCO): from bioethanol production, a significant and growing biodiesel feedstock.
- Used and recovered vegetable oils: where these fall under waste rules, see used cooking oil instead.
The specification that decides the outlet
The same tank of oil can be worth very different money depending on which outlet can take it, and the deciding parameters are usually the first four below. Free fatty acid content in particular is not a quality footnote, it determines whether the oil goes to refining, to oleochemicals or straight to an energy outlet.
| FFA (free fatty acid) | As a percentage, stated as which acid. The primary value driver for anything off-food-grade. |
|---|---|
| Moisture and impurities (M&I) | Combined and separately; drives refining loss and settlement weight. |
| Total fatty acid (TFA) | Essential for acid oils and soapstock, where it is the pricing basis. |
| Iodine value (IV) | Degree of unsaturation; affects oxidative stability and cold-flow downstream. |
| Colour | Lovibond, on a stated cell length. |
| Peroxide value / anisidine | Oxidation history and storage condition. |
| Phosphorus and gums | Refining behaviour and catalyst impact downstream. |
| Sulphur | Critical where the oil is heading for hydrotreatment into HVO. |
| Unsaponifiable matter | Ceiling on usable yield. |
| Melting point / titre / cloud point | Handling, heated storage and which tanks can take it. |
| MOSH/MOAH, PAH, pesticides | Where feed or food-adjacent outlets are in play; also dioxins for feed. |
| Origin and certification | ISCC, RSPO or none, decides eligibility and price band, not just paperwork. |
EUDR: the date that now governs palm and soy
The EU Deforestation Regulation applies to palm oil, soy, cattle, coffee, cocoa, rubber and wood and their derived products. After two postponements the application date now sits at 30 December 2026 for large operators and traders, and 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators.
Two points matter commercially. First, the due diligence obligation falls primarily on whoever first places the relevant product on the EU market, not on everyone downstream, which concentrates the burden and the risk. Second, geolocation data for the plot of production is the practical bottleneck: it either exists in the chain or it does not, and it cannot be created retrospectively. If you are contracting palm or soy for delivery into 2027, settle the EUDR position at contract stage.
The rules have been amended more than once and are still being simplified. Verify the current position against the Official Journal before relying on any summary, including this one.
Contracts, quality and how cargo actually moves
Most bulk vegetable oil business in Europe contracts on FOSFA terms, with the relevant contract form depending on origin, oil and shipment basis. Quality and condition are established by independent superintendents at load and discharge, with sealed retained samples held by both sides, and those retained samples are the single most useful thing anyone can have if a quality dispute arises later.
Movement is by parcel tanker for bulk, flexitank or ISO tank for smaller lots, and drums or IBCs for specialty grades. Heated storage requirements and previous-cargo restrictions narrow the tank and vessel list quickly, so they belong in the first conversation rather than the fixture note.
Where a parcel arrives out of specification, speed decides the loss. See off-spec and distressed cargoes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between acid oil, soapstock and PFAD?
Soapstock is the alkaline by-product of chemical refining. Acid oil is what you get when soapstock is acidulated, concentrating the fatty acids. PFAD, palm fatty acid distillate, comes from the physical refining of palm oil and is a distillate rather than an acidulation product. All three price on total fatty acid content rather than on tonnage, and all three carry their own questions about feedstock status under EU renewable fuel rules.
When does EUDR apply to palm and soy oil?
From 30 December 2026 for large operators and traders, and 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators, following the postponement agreed in December 2025. The due diligence obligation sits primarily with whoever first places the product on the EU market. The practical bottleneck is plot-level geolocation data, which has to exist in the chain already. Verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.
Do you broker food-grade vegetable oils?
We can, but the majority of what we place is technical grade, non-food grade or a refining side stream heading into oleochemical, feed or energy outlets. That is where our buyer network is genuinely strong. If you have food-grade oil to place we will say plainly whether we are the right broker for it.
What is distillers corn oil and why is it in demand?
DCO is the corn oil extracted from the stillage in dry-mill bioethanol production. It is a non-food co-product with a favourable feedstock classification in several renewable fuel regimes, which makes it attractive to biodiesel and renewable diesel producers. Sulphur, moisture and FFA are the parameters buyers screen on, particularly where the oil is going into hydrotreatment.
Which contract terms do you work on?
FOSFA forms are standard for bulk vegetable oil in Europe, with the specific form depending on origin, oil and shipment basis. Quality and condition are settled by independent superintendents at load and discharge with sealed retained samples on both sides. Our own General Terms & Conditions govern the brokerage itself, not the underlying sale contract.
Can you handle small parcels?
Yes. Flexitank and ISO tank lots of roughly 20 to 25 tonnes are routine, and drums or IBCs work for specialty and technical grades. Below about a full container, freight usually dominates the economics, and we will say so rather than let you find out at the quoting stage.
Who to ask about Vegetable & technical oils
Ask us. Have oil to place or a technical-grade requirement? Send the FFA, moisture and colour and we will tell you where it fits. We answer the same working day, in English or Dutch, and there is no charge and no obligation for a market read or a second opinion on a specification.
You get Bart van den Brug directly, not a call centre and not a form that goes nowhere. We are an independent broker: we never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission only on business that actually concludes. That is why we will also tell you when the answer is no.
+31 6 115 83 448
[email protected]
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Last reviewed 09 August 2026 by Bart van den Brug, Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V. (KvK 99665042), Lemmer, the Netherlands. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice; verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.