Kokonut Pacific Solomon Islands

Kokonut Pacific Solomon Islands (KPSI) exists to provide income generating opportunities for local communities in the Solomon Islands. They have done this for a number of years by building sustainable value chains around the coconut oil trade, as well as by revitalising the smallholder cocoa industry. When the pandemic started, they were already seeing increased competition in the markets they operate in, especially in the bulk coconut oil trade with suppliers from Asia having access to greater economies of scale and lower shipping costs. 

As part of the program, they were able to build their resilience by diversifying away from those increasingly competitive markets and demonstrating that they are capable of growing and strengthening their business in the area of value-added products. They expanded their existing partnership with social enterprise Banana Hands and worked with an Australian buyer to develop and market test two new products – lip balms and coconut oil-based mouthwash.

The market research for both products has shown that both have significant promise beyond their original expectations. Should the market prove to be viable in the volumes currently being discussed it has the potential to make a significant contribution to KPSI’s profitability and will have enabled them to break into a higher value product market. Founder Bob Pollard and KPSI’s Australian partner have both confirmed that the market risks and investments required to test these products would not have been possible without the support of the program.

They are looking for an equity partner