Lemon oil from all corners of the world is one of Ultra’s core products.
Lemon has a place in many culinary uses from soft drinks and cocktails to marmalade. However, it can also be used and found in household cleaning products since it can disinfect, deodorise, remove grease and dissolve wax and grime to name but a few uses.
Lemon is also used in aromatherapy to enhance moods and can be used for its anti-bacterial properties in other medicinal applications. In fragrances it gives a fresh uplifting and zesty note to any perfume, as it is highly volatile.
Interestingly the three top producers of fresh lemons in the world are not the countries we would associate with oil production; the top 3 being China, India and Mexico, which account for over 40% of the world production. The Spanish are the largest within Europe producing around 900,000 MT - 1,000,000 MT of fresh lemons in any given good year.
There are two seasons in Spain giving them around 9 months of harvesting during the year. The 'Fino' and 'Primafiori' type runs from November to March and the 'Verna' type from April to July. Depending on the year 20-25% of all lemons are further processed.
Today we associate lemon oil production with Italy and Spain (Europe), Argentina, Bolivia and USA (Americas) and even South Africa who are small producers on the global scale.
Spain is Europe's largest producer of fresh lemons and the largest producer of oil.
Lemon oil is obtained by cold expression or steam distillation of lemon's peel.
According to the latest estimates from AILIMPO, Spain’s lemon production for the 2025/2026 season is forecast at approximately 1.03 million tonnes (1,027,000 tonnes), representing a significant decline of about 18% compared to the previous season (1.25 million tonnes in 2024/2025). This reduction reflects adverse climatic conditions during flowering and fruit set, including irregular rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures in key growing regions. Despite stable cultivated area (around 50,000 hectares), yields are expected to decrease, particularly in major varieties. By variety, Fino lemons are projected at around 780,000 tonnes (about -15% year-on-year), while Verna lemons are expected to fall more sharply to roughly
290,000 tonnes (-25%), reflecting stronger climatic sensitivity and regional stress.
Overall, the 2025/2026 season confirms a structural tightening of Spanish lemon supply, despite Spain remaining above the 1 million tonne threshold. The market continues to be highly export-oriented, meaning reduced output directly impacts availability for both fresh and processing sectors, including lemon oil production.
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