The Philippines is one of the world’s biggest producers of coconuts, ranking second largest exporter in the industry across the globe. However, the coconut industry is facing major challenges today. According to the Philippine Coconut Authority, 20% of the country’s coconut trees are senile. Coco Mama, the country’s leading local gata brand, vows to help ease this problem as it launches the “Save Our Coconuts” project.

Coco Mama led by brand ambassador Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc. (CPAVI), The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), and the General Santos City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) representatives and volunteers at the Coco Mama “Save Our Coconuts” Project Kickoff Event

Coco Mama’s “Save Our Coconuts” project commits to distributing 100,000 quality coconut seedlings in a span of five years to replace aging trees, providing lasting income to smallholder Filipino coconut farmers. The project aims to contribute to the overall effort to revitalize the Philippine coconut industry.

Coco Mama Marketing Director Mr. Bryan Lingan announces Coco Mama’s commitment to helping coconut farmers in the country

“Through Coco Mama's ‘Save Our Coconuts’ project, we make our commitment to provide quality seedlings to smallholder farmer communities in the region. After all, our mission has always been to delight consumers whenever they prepare classic Filipino gata recipes, and part of this delight is in knowing that the brand they love is also doing its part in helping the coconut farmers,” said Coco Mama Marketing Director Mr. Bryan Lingan.

Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc. (CPAVI) Vice President and General Manager Mr. Noel Tempongko, Jr. talks about the current situation of the Philippine coconut industry and what their company is doing to help

Launched on World Coconut Day in General Santos City, South Cotabato, Coco Mama held a tree planting activity with its brand ambassador Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, together with the help and support of representatives from the Philippine Coconut Authority, City Environment and Natural Resources Office – General Santos City, Local Government Unit of General Santos City, Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc., and coconut farmers.

Brand ambassador Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo discusses her involvement in the Coco Mama “Save Our Coconuts” Project

Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo is honored and thankful to be part of the campaign. She said, “Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that the things we consume daily, like gata, come from the efforts of our hard-working farmers. With the ‘Save Our Coconuts’ project, I am not only able to promote our traditional and nutritious gata dishes to Filipino households but also to make a difference in the lives of the people who help harvest the food we put to the table for our families.”

Coco Mama officially turns over coconut seedlings to the representatives of the General Santos City coconut farming community. In the photo are (from top left) Philippine Coconut Authority-Sarangani's Provincial Manager Mr. Jerry Prongco, Coco Mama Marketing Director Mr. Bryan Lingan, Coco Mama brand ambassador Ms. Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc. (CPAVI) Vice President and General Manager Mr. Noel Tempongko, Jr., and City Government Assistant Department Head II of the General Santos City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Mr. Manuel A. Torres, Jr.

Coco Mama’s “Save Our Coconuts” Project is part of the brand’s efforts to contribute to the Philippine Coconut Authority’s bigger mission of rehabilitating the coconut industry and uplifting the lives of the coconut farmers.

For more information, please visit /CocoMamaPhilippines on Facebook or @cocomamaph on Instagram for more updates.

As the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (nCoV-2019) has become an alarming global pandemic, with two cases now being reported in the Philippines, taking precautions towards one’s health and wellbeing has become essential. Besides not being able to report to work, the risky possibility of infecting others is also there.

Apart from having frequently clean hands through regular washing, plus avoiding close contact with anyone who has fever and cough, one effective way to avoid falling ill is by boosting your immune system. And while a cure for 2019-nCoV is still being developed; thankfully, there exists a natural, scientifically-proven method of immune system strengthening—the intake of coconut oil!

According to a paper entitled “The Potential of Coconut Oil as an Effective and Safe Antiviral Agent Against the Novel Coronavirus (nCov-2019)” authored by Fabian M. Dayrit, Ph.D, of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Mary T. Newport, M.D., of Springhill Nematology of Florida, USA, they have confirmed what has been known for many years: that Lauric acid (C12), a medium-chain fatty acid which makes up about 50% of coconut oil, and its derivative, monolaurin, a metabolite that is naturally produced by the body’s own enzymes upon ingestion of coconut oil and is also available in pure form as a supplement, possesses significant antiviral activity.

Specifically, Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common surfactant that is made from lauric acid, has been shown to have potent antiviral properties. “Coconut oil and its derivatives have been shown to be safe and effective antiviral compounds in both humans and animals,” both eminent authors state. They therefore suggest that Coconut Oil be considered as a general prophylactic against viral and microbial infection.

On a consumer level, what then are the best sources of C12 Lauric Acid? There’s coconut cooking oil which has 45% Lauric Acid; Coconut milk which has 15-25%; Desiccated Coconut and whole coconuts which have 16%; and Virgin Coconut Oil or VCO which has 45% Lauric Acid + Polyphenol antioxidants.

Of course, it is worth stressing that not all VCO’s are created equal. The VCO you take has to be USDA certified organic, non-GMO, unbleached and unrefined, and should not be deodorized. For this, there’s only ProSource products!

Founded in 1995, ProSource International now readily serves customers in North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, providing an extensive range of the highest quality organic and conventional coconut products, all Halal and Kosher certified, and manufactured under GMP and HACCP systems.

Among the healthful products you can enjoy include ProSource Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, NUCO Coconut Crunch, a grain-free cereal, and NUCO Coconut Wraps that come in original, cinnamon, turmeric and moringa flavors!

For more information, visit prosourcecoconut.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ProSourceVCO/

At the second World Coconut Congress, industry players here and abroad come together to tackle issues that are shaping the landscape — one of which is best practices in coconut farming and product development that local players, like ProSource International Inc. (ProSource), are focusing on.

Organized by the United Coconut Association of the Philippines (UCAP), the conference centralizes on coconut supply and value chain. Covering wide-ranging topics — from coconut solutions for health and environment, coconut biodiesel, to the latest on coconut oil health research — the said event seeks to promote Philippine coconut products globally.

At present, there is an observed paradigm shift in worldwide market behavior on choosing healthier and sustainable alternatives known as ‘Conscientious Consumerism’, as defined by the Network of Business Sustainability. With this, more and more consumers are seen to be promoting local industries, patronizing cruelty-free cosmetics, reducing plastic use, and generally, turning to healthier and more ethical diets.

To the key players in the Philippine coco industry, the eminence of the coconut trade stems from the significant shift in consumer values towards healthful living. For them, it is but an exciting opportunity to strike on now that the concept of “going green”, or lessening our environmental impact by way of creating more informed choices, is deliberately finding its way into Filipino sensibilities.

“The concept of ethical consumerism is already established in people's behavior, and as practitioners in this field, we see strong opportunities in penetrating this market,” said ProSource’s CEO Ricky E. Santos, who, as a key producer from the coconut industry, believes that businesses like them should also start adapting to the conscientious commerce trend.

“There has been an increase in veganism over the past decade even in meat-heavy countries like the Philippines. Through this thriving lifestyle, we believe that coconut production is one huge market that we all should keep an eye on,” he added.

ProSource, for one, started innovating with the Coconut. They have introduced to the market the likes of coconut calming oil, organic coconut wraps, coconut crunch, and its classic hero product, the Virgin Coconut Oil, among others. This is foreseen to be a springboard for other players to also start getting creative with the fruit with its promise of a warm reception from the market.

“We are one of those who put our strong faith in the ‘tree of life’. It is indeed that, as the fruit can be broken down into a wide range of by-products — from food, medicines, supplements, beauty products, and even personal care commodities,” said Santos.

Worldwide values of coconut products have developed steadily since 2014, and in 2017, with the Philippines reportedly exporting coconut oil at over $1.46 billion in total returns, putting the country amongst the world’s top coconut producers.

With the significant shift in consumer values towards healthful living, and the local industry players’ ingenuity to toil on this worldwide demand, the Philippines is once again set to be in the forefront of the global stage — with its competitive edge of the mastery of the miracle fruit.

To know more about how ProSource can enable you in achieving a conscientious lifestyle, visit ProSource’s website at www.prosourcecoconut.com and ‘like’ their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ProSourceVCO/