Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is an abundant, fast-spreading species. Across the central United States it spreads into grassland, especially where fire is kept out, and landowners work to hold it back.
From Texas, Not Virginia
Many people assume Virginia cedarwood oil comes from Virginia. The name comes from the tree, which grows naturally across much of eastern North America, Texas included (Awkward Botany). Ours grows in Texas, and we distill it in Texas.
Where our wood comes from
"Red cedar" is prized by the lumber and furniture trades for chests, closets and paneling. We take what they can't use: logs too rotten or damaged for lumber, along with wood from rangeland clearing, culled timber trees and sawmill residue, about 200 miles east of Leakey. We buy it from independent contractors.
Did You Know
In the early 1900s, eastern redcedar was the wood of choice for pencils: soft, easy to sharpen without splintering, and fragrant. By the mid-20th century, pencil makers had largely moved to incense cedar (Awkward Botany). The scent stayed in our memory, and it's why perfumers still call this oil's character the "pencil note."
We distill it at our plant in Leakey and always redistill it, removing the first, pinene-rich cut for a smoother, cleaner cedar. Its deeper color and fuller body give formulators a second, distinct cedar note alongside our Texas cedarwood.
Further reading: Briggs et al. (2005), BioScience; Bennion and Ward (2022), Ecology and Evolution; Twidwell et al. (2021), University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Liknes et al. (2015), USDA Forest Service.
