What is chekku, mara chekku, ghani or wood-pressed oil?
Chekku, mara chekku, ghani, wooden ghani and wood pressed are common search terms for traditional oil extraction. Here is a simple explanation.

Why there are so many names
Traditional oil extraction has different regional names. Buyers may search for chekku oil, mara chekku oil, marachekku oil, ghani oil, wooden ghani oil, wood pressed oil or bull-driven oil.
Chekku and mara chekku
Chekku is a familiar South Indian term for a traditional oil press. Mara means wood in several South Indian languages, so mara chekku is commonly used for a wooden pressing setup.
Ghani and wooden ghani
Ghani is another widely used term for a traditional oil press. When a producer says wooden ghani, the phrase generally points to the wooden construction of the pressing mechanism.
Wood pressed and bull-driven describe different aspects
Wood pressed describes the material or style of the pressing setup. Bull-driven describes how the traditional press is powered in our process.
What Sarvashreshta Organics means by traditional
For us, traditional means a real wooden press slowly driven by a bull, followed by natural settling and careful bottling. We show the process so customers do not have to rely on terminology alone.
See our bull-driven cold-pressed oils page for process photos, FAQs and products.
Choose the oil that fits your cooking.
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