Orggu
From Small Farmers
Groundnut, coconut and sesame oil pressed the oldest way still in use: in a wooden press turned by bullocks, then filled without refining. Groundnut from ₹220, coconut from ₹300, sesame from ₹300, or all three in the Bull Driven Oil Trio from ₹748.
The press is a large wooden mortar with a wooden pestle standing in it. A beam from the pestle is yoked to bullocks, and as they walk in a circle the pestle grinds the seed against the mortar wall. Oil runs out through the bottom and is collected, settled and filled. Because the bullocks set the pace, the press turns slowly and makes a small quantity of oil a day — which is the reason the oil costs more than machine-pressed oil.
| Where | What the press is called |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | Chekku, marachekku (wooden chekku) |
| Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | Ganuga |
| Karnataka | Gaana |
| North India | Kolhu, ghani |
| English | Bull driven, bullock-driven or bull-pressed oil |
So "ganuga oil" and "chekku oil" both mean oil from this kind of press. For the Tamil marachekku tradition in particular, see marachekku oil.
| Bull driven | Other cold pressed | Refined | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press | Wooden press, bullock-turned | Mechanical press, usually motorised | Pressed and/or solvent-extracted |
| Refining | None | None | Neutralised, bleached, deodorised |
| Smell and colour | Of the seed | Of the seed | Neutral, uniform |
| Price per litre | Highest | Middle | Lowest |
Our own cold pressed oils are on the cold pressed oils page. We do not publish nutrient-retention percentages or pressing temperatures for any of our oils until we have measured them.
Each oil page compares the bull driven and cold pressed versions with today’s prices; the groundnut, sesame and coconut oil pages add nutrition per 100 g.
All three come in 500 ml and 1 litre bottles and a 1 litre steel vessel (the groundnut vessel is listed as returnable). Ask us on WhatsApp how the vessel can be returned or reused before ordering.
We deliver across India. Free delivery in Bangalore · Ships across India in 2–10 business days (charges at checkout). Cash on delivery in Bangalore; prepaid elsewhere in India. New customers: ₹50 OFF on your first order of ₹289+.
Oil pressed in a wooden mortar and pestle that bullocks turn by walking in a circle, then settled and filled without refining.
Ganuga is the Telugu name for the bullock-turned oil press, so ganuga oil is bull driven oil; in Tamil it is chekku or marachekku oil.
The press turns at the bullocks' walking pace and makes a small quantity of oil a day, so each litre takes more time, labour and animal care than machine-pressed oil.
It is one kind of cold pressed oil — no outside heat and no solvent — distinguished by the wooden, bullock-turned press.
Yes, the Bull Driven Oil Trio has groundnut, coconut and sesame oil — three 500 ml or three 1 litre bottles.
We ship across India from Bangalore; delivery charges show at checkout for your pincode, and cash on delivery is available in Bangalore.
Free delivery in Bangalore · Ships across India in 2–10 business days (charges at checkout)
See the oils and the trio
