About Spectrum Organics

Jethren Phillips started Spectrum in 1986 with the mission to bring expeller pressed culinary oils to people's everyday lives. Jethren had discovered the enormous benefit of healthy fats, and was intrigued by the highly desirable Fatty acid profile of Canola—but was appalled by the harsh chemical processing and nutritional bankruptcy rampant in the oil industry at the time. Because passion and pioneering often go hand in hand, Jethren chose to introduce the first naturally expeller pressed Canola oil to the United States himself.

As Spectrum grew, the company cultivated an extensive line of certified organic oils, and eventually brought the first flaxseed oil to America. Each step brought with it challenges to overcome—like developing a natural process for purifying fragile flaxseed oil, which goes rancid all too quickly if left with impurities. Or fighting for truth in labeling, be it organic certification or non-GE verification.

Today, Spectrum's product offerings have expanded to include certified organic supplement and culinary oils, vinegars and mayonnaise, and an array of delicious, healthy dressings and spreads.

Our Values and Vision

We see what we do as being a series of intertwining threads that make up the fabric of who we are as a company. At Spectrum that means a deep commitment to goodness through People, Product, Process and Planet. Each step weaves into the others, making an impact on the pattern of the whole.

If these four values represent the threads in the Spectrum tapestry, there are another two that act as the warp and weft; these are the Passion and Pioneering spirit that Jethren has infused the company with from the start.

Our values and vision have kept us on the vanguard of the natural food industry, illustrated by the number of innovations we've brought to market.

Spectrum Firsts

• First to introduce expeller pressed Canola Oil into US
• First ever to introduce the concept of ‘high oleic' oils, like high-oleic Safflower Oil
• First to offer an entire line of both refined and unrefined oils
• First to introduce an entire line of certified organic oils
• First to introduce organic margarine and mayonnaise to the US
• First to introduce a trans-fat free spread
• First to introduce organic EFAs to the market
• First to educate the public on the difference between linseed oil and flax oil
• First to figure out how to produce it and deliver flax oil (using MAPP (modified atmospheric pressure properties) refrigeration and opaque bottles)
• First line of organic vinegars in the US
• First to offer verified non-GE oils in the US
• First to introduce truthful labeling about cold-pressing