Why the Mount Lewotobi eruption is unlikely to disrupt your patchouli—and what Fraterworks is doing to keep it that way...
1 | What happened, exactly?
On 17 June 2025 the twin-peaked Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Flores Island produced a 10 km ash column, prompting Indonesia’s volcanology agency (PVMBG) to raise the alert to Level IV — the maximum status. Several bursts of activity followed; precautionary ash advisories have cancelled or delayed up to sixteen international flights at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport and affected routes through Labuan Bajo and Kupang.
2 | Patchouli grows far from the plume
Over 80 % of the world’s patchouli oil comes from Indonesia, but the commercial crop is concentrated in Central & South Sulawesi, plus smaller pockets in Aceh and West Java—all more than 1 000 km west or north of Flores. No plantations lie inside the current evacuation or ash-fall zones.
3 | Supply-chain pinch-points we are watching
| Link | Exposure to this eruption | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Farm operations | None – geography shields fields | No action needed |
| Island ferries / feeder ports | Flores routes may pause, but patchouli drums ship from Makassar & Pare-Pare (Sulawesi) | Alternative west-bound feeder loops already scheduled |
| Air-cargo samples & small lots | Temporary Bali hub closures | Rerouting via Jakarta or Manado; 24–48 h buffers added |
| Main export by sea | Java Sea lanes unaffected | Regular sailings continuing |
Our freight partners confirm no closures along the Makassar → Surabaya/Jakarta corridor at this time.
4 | The underlying market signal
Patchouli was already firm and edging upward—about 8-10 % since late 2024—because stocks of well-aged, low-acid oil are scarce. A brief, headline-driven premium (typically 1-3 %) often accompanies high-profile eruptions, but history shows these spikes fade once aviation alerts are lifted.
5 | Other Indonesian aroma materials to note
| Material | Main producing region | Volcano-related risk |
|---|---|---|
| Sandalwood (Santalum album) | Timor, Sumba & Flores (all in East Nusa Tenggara) | Harvest and road transport could pause if ash fall intensifies locally. |
| Cananga / Ylang-ylang | Java & Bali | Only indirect flight-delay risk |
| Clove, Nutmeg, Massoia | North Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua | Unaffected |
6 | Fraterworks’ readiness plan
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Inventory head-room – We hold at least three months’ cover of Indonesian patchouli across aged and fresh fractions, at our warehouse in New Zealand.
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Dual-routing logistics – All airfreight bookings have approved alternates through Jakarta or Singapore should Bali remain constrained.
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Supplier liaison – We are always in touch with upstream suppliers in Indonesia and France to remain on top of movements in supply and routing.
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Price discipline – There expect there to be no significant changes in pricing of this material.
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Contingency materials – For critical launches we can, if necessary, source vetted Indian and PNG patchouli grades, maintaining odour profile within IFRA-compliant tolerances.
7 | What this means for you
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No immediate shortage is foreseen for patchouli or most Indonesian naturals.
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Transit times on small urgent large volume consignments may lengthen by a day or two; please allow for this when scheduling trials.
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Prices should stay broadly steady after an initial flutter—our contracted volumes are locked.
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Sandalwood users: While we don't sell Indonesian Sandalwood, clients who use it in their formulas should expect minor delays and price increases due to potential micro-delays on East Nusa Tenggara origin logs and chips.
Reassurance in practice
Fraterworks monitors seismic, meteorological, and logistics bulletins in real time and maintains standing alternatives for every critical material. Your creative work should proceed undisturbed—and if the situation changes, you will hear from us first.
For any formulation-specific questions, reach out to our head of products at paul@frater.com. We remain at your service.
