FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to 47 common questions about ordering, payment, shipping, our oils, certifications and packaging. Can’t find what you need? Our team is online 24/7.
Ordering
What is the minimum order?
1,000 liters (about 264 US gallons) per quote, across any combination of oils, grades and pack sizes. For example, one 1,000L IBC tote, five 200L drums or 50 jerrycans of 20L.
How do I place an order?
Add the oils, grades and pack sizes you need to your quote list and send one quote request. We reply by email with a quotation and pro forma invoice, valid for 7 days, showing the price, shipping terms, route and estimated arrival date. Pay by bank transfer or cryptocurrency and upload proof of payment from the link in the email; your order is dispatched within 24–48 hours of payment clearing, depending on order size.
Do I need an account?
No. You can send a quote request without an account: your quote list is saved in your browser until you send it, and you enter your details once in the request. A free buyer account is optional. It lets you see every quotation and its expiry date, pay and upload proof of payment, follow each order to arrival, download invoices and Certificates of Analysis, and reorder in one click.
Can I mix different oils and pack sizes?
Yes. The minimum applies to your whole quote, so you can combine any oils, grades and pack sizes in one request and receive one quotation.
How long is a quotation valid?
Quotations are valid for 7 days from the date of issue. Cooking oil prices move with the commodity markets, so after 7 days we reconfirm the price before you pay.
Is a quote request binding?
No. A quote request is free and does not commit you to buy. Your order is confirmed only when you approve the quotation and pay the pro forma invoice.
Can I order by email?
Yes. Email the oils, grades, pack sizes, quantities, destination and preferred shipping terms to sales@wholesalecookingoil.com. The quote list is simply the quickest way to send everything at once.
Can I set up regular deliveries?
Yes. Choose the order frequency in your quote request: one-off, monthly, quarterly or ongoing contract supply, and tell us the oils, pack sizes and volume you expect per delivery. We plan the schedule and the shipping route with you. Because oil prices move with the commodity markets, each delivery is quoted and paid in advance like any other order, and with a buyer account you can reorder a previous order in one click.
Can I get samples first?
Yes, where available. Ask in your quote request or through our Contact page, naming the oils and grades and your delivery address, and we will confirm sample availability, size and any cost. We can also send the specification sheet and a sample Certificate of Analysis first, so you can check each oil against your requirements before a full order.
Do you offer private label?
Yes, on request. We can pack 1L and 5L bottles, 10L containers and 20L jerrycans under your brand. Tell us your markets, pack sizes and label requirements in your quote request, and we will confirm the minimum run, artwork requirements and lead time.
Payment
How do I pay?
Orders are paid 100% in advance, in US dollars, against the pro forma invoice in your quotation: by bank transfer (wire or ACH) to our US business bank account, or by cryptocurrency. You choose the method in your quote request. Your quotation email links to a secure page with the payment details, where you upload proof of payment once you have paid.
Which cryptocurrencies do you accept?
Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), BNB, XRP, USDC, Solana (SOL), Tron (TRX), Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA) and Litecoin (LTC). USDT can be sent on Tron (TRC-20), Ethereum (ERC-20) or BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20), and USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20) or Solana. The amount, network and wallet address are stated on your invoice.
How long does a bank transfer take to reach you?
A domestic US wire usually arrives the same business day and an ACH transfer within 1–2 business days. International wires usually take 1–5 business days, depending on the sending country, the banks involved, cut-off times, holidays and compliance checks.
When does the 24–48 hour dispatch start?
From the day your payment clears in our account. For a bank transfer, that is the day the funds arrive, not the day you send them. Cryptocurrency usually confirms within an hour, any day of the week.
Who pays the bank charges?
Choose the “OUR” charge option when you send an international wire, so that the full invoice amount reaches us. With “SHA”, intermediary banks may deduct fees and leave a shortfall to be settled before dispatch.
How do I protect myself from payment fraud?
We only send payment details from an @wholesalecookingoil.com email address, and we never change bank or wallet details by email. If you receive new payment details, do not pay; contact us first using the details on our website. For cryptocurrency, check the full wallet address and network against your invoice.
Shipping and delivery
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes. We supply food businesses in the United States and around the world. Within the United States, Canada and Mexico, we deliver by truck from our nearest facility: usually 1–5 business days within the US and 3–10 days to Canada and Mexico. Overseas orders ship by sea in containers, as flexitanks, IBC totes, drums or palletized cases, from the Port of Gulfport, Mobile, New Orleans, Savannah or Portland, whichever best suits your route. Typical sea transit is 12–20 days to the UK and Northern Europe, 28–42 days to West Africa, 25–45 days to the Middle East and 14–25 days to East Asia. You choose the shipping terms (FCA, FAS, FOB, CFR, CPT or DAP), and every quotation states the route, port of loading and estimated arrival date. We cannot ship to countries under US sanctions, and mustard oil is supplied for export only.
Which shipping terms do you offer?
FCA, FAS, FOB, CFR, CPT and DAP, under Incoterms® 2020. Tell us your delivery city or port, and we will recommend the terms and route that suit you.
Do you offer CIF or DDP?
No. We offer FCA, FAS, FOB, CFR, CPT and DAP. Under all six, import clearance, duties and taxes in your country are your responsibility. Cargo insurance is not included by default; if you would like us to arrange it, ask in your quote request and we will confirm whether it can be added to your quotation as a listed charge.
Which US port will my order ship from?
It depends on the facility that packs it: the Port of Gulfport for Mississippi, the Port of Portland for Oregon, and for Tennessee, by truck to the Port of Mobile (Alabama), the Port of New Orleans (Louisiana) or the Port of Savannah (Georgia). Your quotation confirms the port.
How quickly do you dispatch?
Within 24–48 hours of your payment clearing, depending on order size, for orders in the United States and abroad. Export orders then travel by truck to the port of loading for the next suitable sailing, and your quotation shows each step from payment to estimated arrival.
How long does delivery take?
After dispatch, truck deliveries usually take 1–5 business days within the contiguous United States and 3–10 days to Canada and Mexico; Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico take about 1–3 weeks by truck and ocean barge. By sea, typical port-to-port times are 5–14 days to the Caribbean and Central America, 12–20 days to the UK and Northern Europe, 14–25 days to East Asia, 25–45 days to the Middle East, 28–42 days to West Africa and 20–35 days to Australia and New Zealand. Allow 1–3 weeks more for documents, customs clearance and inland delivery at destination. Every quotation states an estimated arrival date for your route.
Can I track my shipment?
Yes. For sea shipments we send you the container and bill of lading numbers, so you can track the vessel with the shipping line; for truck deliveries we share the carrier’s reference. With a free buyer account you can also follow each order from payment to dispatch and arrival, and download its documents.
Can oils that solidify be shipped in flexitanks?
Yes. Flexitanks for RBD palm, palm kernel and coconut oil are fitted with a heating pad, so the oil can be warmed with steam or hot water and pumped out on arrival.
What documents come with an export order?
A commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Analysis and the transport document for your shipment, such as a bill of lading. A certificate of origin and certification copies are available on request.
Products and quality
How many oils do you supply?
37 edible oils, from core frying oils such as sunflower, soybean, canola and palm olein to high-oleic, specialty and cold-pressed oils such as avocado, walnut, black seed and argan.
What is the difference between refined and cold-pressed oil?
Refined oil is cleaned, bleached and deodorized for a neutral taste, light color, high smoke point and long shelf life, which suits frying and food manufacturing. Cold-pressed oil is pressed without added heat and only filtered, so it keeps more natural flavor, color and minor nutrients, but usually has a lower smoke point and shorter shelf life.
What does RBD mean?
RBD stands for refined, bleached and deodorized. It describes an oil that has been through the full refining process, giving a neutral taste, light color, high smoke point and long shelf life.
Where are your oils made?
Every oil is processed and packed at our own facilities in Tennessee, Mississippi and Oregon, from US-grown and imported raw materials. Palm, palm kernel, coconut, olive and argan oils are milled near where they grow, because the fruit must be processed fresh; we then refine or filter, test and pack them in the United States.
Are your oils “Made in USA”?
Our oils are processed and packed in the United States from US-grown and imported raw materials. Because some raw materials are imported, we describe them that way rather than with an unqualified “Made in USA” claim.
Does every order come with a Certificate of Analysis?
Yes. Every order comes with a Certificate of Analysis for the lot, with results from our ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory.
Can I get a specification sheet?
Yes, for any oil and grade. The specification sheet lists the typical values for that grade, such as free fatty acids, peroxide value, moisture, color and fatty acid profile. Each lot you receive then comes with a Certificate of Analysis showing its actual results. Request a sheet through our Contact page or in your quote request.
What is the shelf life?
Unopened and in its original packaging, most refined oils keep for up to 18–24 months, cold-pressed, roasted and nut oils for about 9–18 months, and omega-3-rich oils such as flaxseed for about 6 months refrigerated. Oil delivered in IBC totes and flexitanks should be transferred and used within 12 months. Each oil page lists its shelf life in the specification table. Store oil sealed, cool, dry and away from light.
Can you trace an order back to its source?
Yes. Every pack carries a lot code that follows the oil from the raw material through processing and testing to the final pack.
Certifications
Which certifications do you hold?
FDA food facility registration, FSSC 22000, SQF, HACCP, GMP, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO/IEC 17025, Halal, Kosher, USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, RSPO and ISCC PLUS.
Can I see copies of your certificates?
Yes. We share copies with customers and prospective customers on request, by email from an @wholesalecookingoil.com address.
Do all your oils carry every certification?
No. Food safety, management system and laboratory certifications cover our operations. Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Halal, Kosher, RSPO and ISCC PLUS certifications apply to the products, grades or supply chains listed on each certificate.
Are your oils FDA approved?
Our facilities are registered with the FDA, as US law requires for food facilities. FDA registration is not an approval of a company or product, and the FDA does not issue registration certificates.
Packaging
Which pack sizes do you offer?
1L bottles in cases of 12, 5L bottles in cases of 4, 10L containers in cases of 2, 20L jerrycans, 200L drums, 1,000L IBC totes and 20,000L flexitanks.
Which pack size should I choose?
Bottles and 5L–20L containers suit retail and kitchens. 200L drums and 1,000L IBC totes suit restaurant groups, bakeries and food plants. 20,000L flexitanks fill a 20-foot container and give the lowest cost per liter for large buyers and importers.
How much fits in a 20-foot container?
About one 20,000L flexitank, 18–20 IBC totes or about 80 drums, depending on the oil, the loading pattern and the weight limits for your route.
What are your drums made of?
Food-grade, closed-head 200-liter steel drums with bung openings, so you can empty them with a drum pump or tap. Each drum is filled, sealed and lot-coded at our US facilities and marked with the oil, grade and best-before date.
Our company
Where are you based?
Our head office is at 222 2nd Ave S, Nashville, Tennessee 37201. Our farms, processing plants and warehouses are in Tennessee, Mississippi and Oregon.
Are you a manufacturer or a trader?
We process and pack our oils ourselves. We buy crops and crude oils from our own farms and from traders in the major growing countries, then process, test and pack them at our own US facilities.
How long have you been in business?
Wholesale Cooking Oil LLC was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Today we run our own farms, processing plants and warehouses in Tennessee, Mississippi and Oregon, and supply 37 edible oils to restaurants, food manufacturers, distributors and importers in the United States and abroad.
When can I reach you?
Any time. Our sales team is online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and US holidays, so you can reach us from any time zone by email at sales@wholesalecookingoil.com or through our Contact page. Payment details are only ever sent from an @wholesalecookingoil.com address.
Can I visit your office?
Yes, by appointment. Tell us your preferred dates and what you would like to discuss, and we will confirm a time and who you will meet.
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