Zero Waste, Sustainable, Organic and Fair TradeVirgin Coconut Oil and Vanilla

Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific

Ian Jones MBAianjones@hotmail.com +676 8411099 Skype: ianmbm

Why Tonga

• First world work is mostly work for works sake• He who dies rich with the most toys came last• Money isn’t everything• Change of lifestyle• Leave the rat race behind• Add real value that actually does good and

helps people• Be happy

The Questions

1. What is there an abundance of in Vava’u?2. What can be done with it?3. Is anyone else doing it?4. Will it create local employment?5. Is there a market?6. Will it create export and import replacement

products?7. Can we make the money we need from it?8. Can we be passionate about this?

We discovered the Vava’u Islands were covered in coconuts and neglected vanilla plantations

Some Answers• Coconut: Tree of Life• The people understand

coconuts• Virgin Coconut Oil• Coconut Water• Husk• Shell• Pigs eat coconut• Growing international demand• VCO high value low volume• Exports

• Vanilla: Worlds favourite flavouring

• Most Labour Intensive Product

• High value low volume• Exports

We called a meeting of grass root Tongan families to gauge their support of us starting a sustainable organic agro processing business

utilising their unused coconuts and vanilla.

In 2013 we formed a Vanilla and Coconut Growers Association to represent the growers. Twelve board members were elected from the membership. We commenced Fair Trade and

Organic certification.

Summary so far

• Abundant supply of coconuts, 15 million wasted every year.

• Over 300 neglected vanilla plantations• Motivated and organised farmers• Global market for coconut oil and vanilla• No local producers to upset or displaced• Low volume high value products• Potentially profitable for all parties

Problem 1 Not enough capital to get things started, no bank or development

bank support.Answer

Supply Chain Financing

Est. 1897 Australian Family Owned

#1 Brand in Baking Needs*

Awarded Vanilla producers

*Source: Aztec – Brands, Dollars(000), AUS, MAT 17/3/13

Pure Vanilla

15 Million Coconuts Wasting

• The EU through the IACT program helped us but equipment to expand the coconut oil factory.

• The coconut oil factory can produce 4,000 litres of virgin coconut oil every month, this requires 60,000 coconuts. At full capacity the farmers will receive an additional TOP$216,000 per year. With the average wage less that TOP$7,000 per year this makes a big difference

Research Questions ???

• Where is the market?• What does the market want?• How do we get the product

to the market?• Is the price paid profitable?• Is the price fair to all parties?

Where do the answers come from?

All answers come from asking questions to:

Google, You Tube, Linked in, Email, Telephone, User Visits, Other

Producers, NGO’s, Government Ministry

Answers

• Must be Organic Certified• Must be Fair Trade Certified• Must be good quality• Must be price competitive• Must be consistent• Must meet the order on time• Must deliver what they want

Our coconut oil factory has been built to HACCP standards. Both the coconut plantations and the

vanilla plantations are organic certified by Australian Certified Organics and Fair Trade

certified by Fair Trade ANZ.

Today we work with over 300 farmers to process and market

their Vanilla and Coconuts.

The Coconut and Vanilla operation directly employs 12 to 20 people. Indirectly over 300 families

benefit from the vanilla and coconut processing facility by growing vanilla and supplying coconuts.

But that is just the start of the story and creation of our biggest problem.

What do we do with the waste?

Problem 2: What to do with waste from 60,000 coconuts

• 506 litres of coconut water per day• 585 kg coconut flakes per day• 1.2 ton husk per day• 694 kg shells per day

Answer: Find a use or a market for it

Coconut oil processing produces a lot of waste, including coconut husk, coconut shell and

coconut water. In addition to this once processed there is the residual coconut cake.

Our aim is to use all the waste.

The coconut husk is given to the Vanilla growers and is used a mulch for the vanilla plant. This is critical to the health of the plant as it lives off decaying plant matter.

The husk will also soon be pounded into a small fibre and used as an oil absorbant export product

The coconut cake and water are mixed together to make pig porridge. They love it.

Some of the coconut cake and water goes to the maggot farm. The resulting (non smelly) maggots are almost the perfect food for

chickens.

When you feed pigs you get more waste.

Pig Poop(no picture necessary)

Pig Poop Bio Gas and Vegetable Garden

Pig and Chicken Guts

Vava’u Villa Bar and Restaurant

The only waste we can’t currently use is the coconut shells and that is solved when we

finance a Biomass Gasifier

Gasifier

The coconut shells are destined to become the feed stock for the gasifier. The gasifier will convert the shells into syngas, the gas drives a combustion engine which powers a generator that produced 20kW of electricity. Surplus electricity is fed to the grid and as such reduces Tonga Power’s need to run diesel generators.

We make taro and cassava chips cooked in the coconut oil, sprinkled with Tongan sea salt and

packed for local consumption to replace imported chips. The peal goes into pig porridge.

We utilise Tonga’s abundant resources of coconut and vanilla, to establish a sustainable

and profitable year round business with multiple products providing employment to hundreds of

grass root Tongan families.

Taste of Tonga is developing an export business and import

replacement business that reduces Tonga’s reliance on foreign aid and

foreign remittances.Our aim is to maximise profits

through active waste utilisation.

The whole system is sustainable and produces zero waste because we aim to use every part of

the coconut and in the end produce:• Virgin coconut oil (export)• Coconut cream (import replacement)• Coconut cheese (import replacement)• Coconut soap (import replacement and export)• Coconut vinegar (import replacement)• Coconut water (export)• Coconut cakes (import replacement)• Coconut waste, pig, chicken and maggot food (import replacement)• Coconut husk as and oil absorbent (export)• Coconut husk smoked ham, chicken and duck cured in Tongan sea salt (import replacement)• Pig poop to make methane bio gas (import replacement)• Taro and Cassava chips cooked on pig poop gas in coconut oil and sprinkled with Tongan sea salt. The pealing

goes to the pig porridge. (import replacement)• Bio Gas waste water to fertilize the vegetable garden• Bio char from coconut shells for the garden soil (waste utilisation)• Pug guts to feed the Mud crabs (waste utilisation)• Mud crabs sold to restaurants (import replacement)• Mud Crab shells become calcium for the chickens and ducks (waste utilisation)• Tongan trench sea salt by evaporating filtered sea water (import replacement)• Coconut shells as fuel to produce electricity (import replacement)• Cured vanilla (export)

Taste of Tonga: Zero Waste Process

Receive coconutsRemove coconut

from husk Remove shell

Husk pounded and bagged and exported as absorbent material

Shells for electricityPress coconut to remove oil

Grind coconuts

Turn shells into electricity, No imported diesel

Husk

EXPORT: Virgin Coconut Oil

Maggot food

Pig food

Post press coconut flakes

Chicken and duck food

For more informationIan Jonesianjones@hotmail.com+676 8411099+676 71010

Pig and chicken slaughter

waste

Pig poop to bio gas

Dry to remove water

Coconut oil soap

Biochar

Vanilla Export

Activity: Zero Waste

What is your raw material?What is the finished product?What goes to waste in between the raw material and the finished product?What is it useful for?What do you need to do this?Is there a market?Can it be done profitably?What do you need to do next?

Thank-you!