THE COCONUT SAP TO SUGAR STORY
The Mananggite (local name for coconut sap or toddy collector) first selects the coconut tree suited for coconut sap production. He then climbs high into the canopy of tall swaying coconut trees and cleans the tree by removing the dried leaves, stipules and aborted spadices. The unopened spadix (flowers) is tied with a string to prevent it from opening. The spadix is gradually bent downward daily for 15 days until it droops. As it droops the tip is thinly cut daily with a sharp knife so that the toddy will flow. The toddy is then collected in a plastic container. The plasic container is covered with a net to prevent insects from sipping the sap. The sap is collected every four hours to prevent fermentation. Then the sap is filtered in a strainer and PH is taken. The coconut toddy is boiled immediately after harvest in an open stainless steel wok through the process of evaporation. The water is left to evaporate for many hours. As it gradually becomes sticky, fire is lowered and constantly stirred until it granulizes into sugar.
The whole process is done by expert processors. No chemicals, additives and anti-fermenting agents are added. The granulated coconut sugar is pure and natural. This is how tedious the process of coconut sugar making is. If not for the love and passion of the mananggites to collect the coconut toddy every four hours, we won't have this natural, healthy sweetener and whole food.
SOCIAL IMPACT OF COCONUT SUGAR PRODUCTION
* Income of coconut farm owners increased by 300-400%.
* The Mananggite or coconut tapper has risen well above the poverty line, income has increased by 200-300%.
* High impact on employment, a hectare of coconut trees (100 trees) can employ 7-8 workers.
*Women are employed as processors and farm workers.
* Provide green jobs to the community through organic coconut farming and coconut sugar production.
* We develop the capacities of our project partners through seminars, trainings.
* 100% of the money from growing, harvesting and processing of this sugar stays in the local community.
* Coconut sugar is the cleanest and single most sustainable sugar in the world.
* We produce with low carbon footprint, production is in the farm and our workers are just living nearby- they just walk to the processing plant.
* Coconut palms produce an average of 50-75% more sugar per acre than sugar cane and use less than 1/5th the nutrients for production.
* Coconut trees are ecologically beneficial tree crop that grows in diverse, wild-life supportive agro-ecosystems, restore damaged soils and require very little water.
* Coconut is categorized by FAO as a tree and is good in carbon sequestration.
* Coconut sugar production encourages planting of more coconut trees that contributes in greening our planet
* Our coconut farm is planted with other crops such as cacao, fruit trees, bananas, rootcrops, ginger, turmeric, oregano, cardamon and many others which increases carbon sequestration in the farm.
