Ethical Sourcing

Coconut Merchant's Ethical Story

At Coconut Merchant, supporting farmers is the ultimate objective of what we do. In this way, our customers are not only purchasing quality natural products, but also joining us in our mission to share the produce of farmers in developing countries with the world. Let us explain...

Trade, not just aid

Yes, like other companies we could give to charities, and while we still do this, we believe we can do more.

Our philosophy is founded on a principle of trade, not just aid. We believe that while there are times where aid is indeed needed, true economic development comes through commercial partnerships where both parties benefit. 

New Model for Business

Our goal is to develop a model for business where all parties in the chain benefit, from the farmer all the way through to our customers and their families. To this end, we are partnering with the UNDP and their Business Call to Action initiative to have our model studied and its impact measured.

So How Exactly Does This Work?

Ultimately, our model is simple: Firstly, we try and get as close to farmers and farmers’ cooperatives as possible, and we work hard to make sure they get a fair price for their produce.  We currently partner and source from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. While there are different models we have in each location, the spirit of what we are aiming for is the same and enshrined in our Sourcing and Environmental Policies.

We also assist in developing commercially viable products from under-utilised produce, and assist our partners in achieving international production standards.  As well as this, we collaborate with international partners and cooperatives to develop new products, helping us stay ahead of the curve and share exciting new products with customers, while also opening up our partners to new products, trends, and markets.

In practice, what this means is that farmers can enjoy something often missing in developing countries: financial stability. They know that with us, they will continue to have a partner that will continue into the future, and collaborate with them in the future. In this way, as we grow, they are able to grow with us - and our customers are very much direct supporters in achieving this.

#PackedWithLove

What this means is that for both the farmers we work with, and us at Coconut Merchant, there is love woven all the way through our production chain and the quality of our natural products. It is for this reason, that we are proud to say that from farm to table, our products are Packed With Love.

If you would like to read more on our policies you can find our Environmental Policy here and our Ethical Policy here! 

We are a no monkey business!

We keep every step of our product's journey ethical because we truly care, just like you. We definitely don't use any monkeys to harvest our coconuts, instead, our coconuts are harvested by trained professionals. These professionals use their impressive climbing skills and specially designed tools to bring you yummy coconuts- they're great!