At Covico, we are aware of the effects that environmentally irresponsible farming can have on the Earth. We’ve committed ourselves to the most sustainable farming practices possible, and know that the way we grow, harvest, and manufacture our coconuts is just as important as the taste of the final ingredient. We’ve combined the eco-friendly nature of coconuts with our regenerative agricultural practices to create coconut products loved by both tastebuds and the environment. Here is an inside look at Covico’s sustainable farming practices.
Growing Our Coconuts
Saying no to fertilizers, pesticides, and excessive use of natural resources
Our goal is to grow our coconut trees in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Coconuts grow from fallen coconuts, so no planting is required. Coconut trees also do not require any fertilizer and are pest and insect resistant, meaning the use of pesticides that may harm the land is not necessary. Coconut trees actually help counter the effects of climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide. Additionally, coconut trees are durable and only require the water that the rain provides. When our coconuts are ready to be harvested, we do so manually without the use of tractors or equipment.
Intercropping and Agroforestry
We work with farms to promote agroforestry methods such as intercropping: the planting of other crops such as cacao, mango and Australian Peanut near the coconut tree. This creates a symbiotic relationship where all plants thrive, resulting in organic fertilization with as much as 50% higher coconut yields, more diverse crops, and a more productive use of the land! Most coconut trees live over 80 years, meaning one tree goes a long way and produces coconuts for generations.
Our Factories
Our sustainable practices don’t end once our coconuts leave our farms. Our factories run on coconuts! We take the shells of our harvested coconuts and burn them in a large furnace. They are then able to be used as biofuel to power our manufacturing facilities. This allows for zero energy from the grid to be used.
Shipping our products
Our commitment to sustainability continues long after our coconut ingredients are manufactured and packaged. Shipping liquid coconut water and coconut milk over long distances may cause concern for the environment as this process can create added carbon emissions. This is one of the reasons why Covico evaporates the liquids into powders before shipping. By doing this, we are able to reduce ocean freight fuel usage by 95%. To put this into perspective, a liquid shipment of 233,333 liters of product takes approximately 12,213 liters of fuel to move the product from Asia to the U.S.. Covico proprietary technologies allow us to move the same amount of product, but in our evaporated form, using only approximately 555 liters of fuel to ship the from Asia to the US.
Zero Waste
At Covico, we use 100% of each and every coconut that we harvest. Coconuts can be broken into four parts: husk, shell, meat, and liquid. The husk is placed at the base of the coconut tree to provide shelter for pest-eating snakes and to use as a natural fertilizer. The inner shell is turned into carbon, which, as previously mentioned, fuels our factories. The meat is removed and is used to make coconut milk, coconut oil, desiccate, and copra products. Finally, we use the water for our delicious 100% evaporated coconut water, with no added ingredients.
From the very beginning of our process to the very end, we are committed to sustainable farming and manufacturing practices. For more information about our dedication to sustainable agriculture, visit our regenerative agriculture informational page and sign up to receive a PDF of our regenerative agriculture program via email. To learn about our delicious coconut products, visit the products page of our website, select the product you are interested in learning more about, and click inquire.