WHERE DOES THE OIL COME FROM?

Pure Coconut Oil Company oil comes from villages in discreet geographical rural communities on the two main islands of Samoa, Upolu and Savaii. The Pure Coconut Oil Company has installed the cold presses in villages for the communities to use. The villagers are left to produce as much coconut oil as they wish. They are not employed by the Pure Coconut Oil Company, and are not obliged to produce any set amount of oil. The villagers can choose how much of the product they wish to sell to the marketing arm of the Pure Coconut Oil Company, and how much they choose to keep for their own use. The villages are the preferred suppliers to the Pure Coconut Oil Company.

BENEFITS TO THE VILLAGES

The people of the villages’ benefit by having the Pure Coconut Oil Company offer them a sustainable source of income, and the ability to earn valuable foreign exchange through exporting of the product. The Pure Coconut Oil Company also offers training in the successful management of income gained, along with training in how to maintain environmental sustainability.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

Five of the active, cold press coconut plantations, in Samoa are organically certified to NASAA standards, with six others also certified but on hold pending final production development. One of the downstream benefits of this is that the certification extends to all agricultural activities on the site, not just coconut cultivation.

Compliance training is provided by the Women in Business Foundation, who control the setting up of sites along with providing ongoing training of the villagers in the use and maintenance of the equipment.