Palm oil has many benefits; it has great cooking properties which are maintained even under high temperatures, it has a smooth and creamy texture, no taste or smell and has a natural preservative effect which extends the shelf life of food products. It is also very controve
rsial.
Both Holle and MOGLi use palm oil as it has these and other beneficial qualities that no other plant oil has. They both use a supplier based in Colombia which has been producing organic palm oil grown in a sustainable and socially responsible way since the 1990's.
Holle write: "According to a study conducted by the WWF, palm oil produces the highest yields per unit area compared to all other oils. Palm oil production per se is therefore the most ecological oil production in the world. Unfortunately, most of the palm oil used worldwide is not produced in a sustainable manner. In particular, in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, vast expanses of rainforests have been cut down for short-term profits, driving many endangered species from their natural habitat. This clearly justifies the bad reputation of such conventionally produced palm oil.
For our Holle products, we use organic palm oil from sustainable cultivation, produced by the Daabon Group in Colombia. In their organic palm oil production, Daabon consider various social and environmental aspects: The people working on-site receive fair and adequate payment and appropriate social benefits. The oil palms are grown in permaculture systems. No pesticides are used. Daabon regularly receives very good ratings in evaluations by the WWF. For the cultivation of organic oil palms, slash-and-burn or other forms of clearing primary forests are not allowed. Holle palm oil is RSPO-certified. RSPO, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, is led by the WWF and defines the criteria for sustainable palm oil production."
Making sure that MOGLi are using only the best ingredients means that they have to know where their ingredients come from. They know their farmers and try to visit them on a frequent base. For overseas ingredients MOGLi work closely with fair trading cooperations and importers. They provided us with the following information about Daabon which we found very interesting and informative:
The region
The growing area is in the north of Colombia
not far from the Caribbean coast. The area around the plantation was exploited at the beginning of the twentieth century by the 'United Fruit Company' (today, Chiquita Banana) as southern fruits were cultivated there for export without any benefit for the locals. Guerrilla groups then destabilised the area over many years. Today the region is experiencing positive development of which Daabon has played a decisive role. The cultivation of bananas, citrus fruits and palm oil offers many locals a way of earning their living.
The producer
Daabon is a family company which has been growing bananas since 1914. At the beginning of the 1990s, the company switched to eco-production inspired by the cultivation methods of a Demeter farm in Europe. In addition to the production of palm oil, the company also grows organic bananas and organic coffee, as well as offering logistic services. Today the company has over 2,000 employees who all enjoy the advantages of a registered workplace medical, pension and unemployment insurance just as we do here.
The plantations
Daabon produces palm oil mostly on its own plantations but also works with an association of several hundred smallholders. Daabon guarantees a fixed price, acceptance of the harvest and social security. In addition, the company supports the smallholders in their independence with advice on cultivation and business procedures.
The plantations cover several thousand hectares and are characterised by natural scrub. Furthermore, around ten per cent remains unused to maintain the eco-system and provide animals (frogs, birds, rodents and monkeys) with a natural refuge. There is no clearance for new areas; abandoned cultivable land or pasture land is used instead. The purchasing of land is subject to strict criteria (Clinton List, indigenous population, nature protection etc.).
Cultivation
The oil palms can be harvested over a period of 35 years. After that, they are too high to be harvested by hand and new trees are planted. The fruits are cut out of the treetops with long hand saws and then transported from the woods to the roadside using buffalos. From here, they are transported to the oil mill on trucks. They make their own compost which consists of buffalo manure as wel
l as other by-products such as leaves, fruit clusters, peel, branches and sand. To improve the quality, the company breeds earthworms and adds them to the compost. This increases the nitrogen content of the compost which is particularly beneficial for the seedlings. Natural pest controls are also used.
Processing
The fruit is processed quickly once harvested. The oil mill is local. First, the orange/red fruits are loosened from the fruit bundle and then steamed. After that the reddish oil is pressed from the fruit and filtered.
Sustainability
Daabon regularly assesses the diversity of animal species on its plantations; this is how any changes in the eco-system can be detected at an early stage. The company's maxim is; if the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy, if the plants are healthy so are the animals. In terms of energy, Daabon€˜s mission is to deal carefully with existing resources. For this purpose the company has constructed a biogas plant in which methane is generated from the materials left over in production. This is used for their own energy supply. The boiled water from the oil mill is recycled and reused.
Social commitment and responsibility
Daabon engages in various infrastructure projects, builds settlements for employees and supports school projects. The company supports local self employed people with micro loans as well as helping them with further training. For example, a seamstress was helped in this way and now makes work clothes for the employees.
SHOP MOGLi & Holle by clicking on the images below:
rsial.
Both Holle and MOGLi use palm oil as it has these and other beneficial qualities that no other plant oil has. They both use a supplier based in Colombia which has been producing organic palm oil grown in a sustainable and socially responsible way since the 1990's.
Holle write: "According to a study conducted by the WWF, palm oil produces the highest yields per unit area compared to all other oils. Palm oil production per se is therefore the most ecological oil production in the world. Unfortunately, most of the palm oil used worldwide is not produced in a sustainable manner. In particular, in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, vast expanses of rainforests have been cut down for short-term profits, driving many endangered species from their natural habitat. This clearly justifies the bad reputation of such conventionally produced palm oil.
For our Holle products, we use organic palm oil from sustainable cultivation, produced by the Daabon Group in Colombia. In their organic palm oil production, Daabon consider various social and environmental aspects: The people working on-site receive fair and adequate payment and appropriate social benefits. The oil palms are grown in permaculture systems. No pesticides are used. Daabon regularly receives very good ratings in evaluations by the WWF. For the cultivation of organic oil palms, slash-and-burn or other forms of clearing primary forests are not allowed. Holle palm oil is RSPO-certified. RSPO, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, is led by the WWF and defines the criteria for sustainable palm oil production."
Making sure that MOGLi are using only the best ingredients means that they have to know where their ingredients come from. They know their farmers and try to visit them on a frequent base. For overseas ingredients MOGLi work closely with fair trading cooperations and importers. They provided us with the following information about Daabon which we found very interesting and informative:
The region
The growing area is in the north of Colombia not far from the Caribbean coast. The area around the plantation was exploited at the beginning of the twentieth century by the 'United Fruit Company' (today, Chiquita Banana) as southern fruits were cultivated there for export without any benefit for the locals. Guerrilla groups then destabilised the area over many years. Today the region is experiencing positive development of which Daabon has played a decisive role. The cultivation of bananas, citrus fruits and palm oil offers many locals a way of earning their living.
The producer
Daabon is a family company which has been growing bananas since 1914. At the beginning of the 1990s, the company switched to eco-production inspired by the cultivation methods of a Demeter farm in Europe. In addition to the production of palm oil, the company also grows organic bananas and organic coffee, as well as offering logistic services. Today the company has over 2,000 employees who all enjoy the advantages of a registered workplace medical, pension and unemployment insurance just as we do here.
The plantations
Daabon produces palm oil mostly on its own plantations but also works with an association of several hundred smallholders. Daabon guarantees a fixed price, acceptance of the harvest and social security. In addition, the company supports the smallholders in their independence with advice on cultivation and business procedures.
The plantations cover several thousand hectares and are characterised by natural scrub. Furthermore, around ten per cent remains unused to maintain the eco-system and provide animals (frogs, birds, rodents and monkeys) with a natural refuge. There is no clearance for new areas; abandoned cultivable land or pasture land is used instead. The purchasing of land is subject to strict criteria (Clinton List, indigenous population, nature protection etc.).
Cultivation
The oil palms can be harvested over a period of 35 years. After that, they are too high to be harvested by hand and new trees are planted. The fruits are cut out of the treetops with long hand saws and then transported from the woods to the roadside using buffalos. From here, they are transported to the oil mill on trucks. They make their own compost which consists of buffalo manure as well as other by-products such as leaves, fruit clusters, peel, branches and sand. To improve the quality, the company breeds earthworms and adds them to the compost. This increases the nitrogen content of the compost which is particularly beneficial for the seedlings. Natural pest controls are also used.
Processing
The fruit is processed quickly once harvested. The oil mill is local. First, the orange/red fruits are loosened from the fruit bundle and then steamed. After that the reddish oil is pressed from the fruit and filtered.
Sustainability
Daabon regularly assesses the diversity of animal species on its plantations; this is how any changes in the eco-system can be detected at an early stage. The company's maxim is; if the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy, if the plants are healthy so are the animals. In terms of energy, Daabon€˜s mission is to deal carefully with existing resources. For this purpose the company has constructed a biogas plant in which methane is generated from the materials left over in production. This is used for their own energy supply. The boiled water from the oil mill is recycled and reused.
Social commitment and responsibility
Daabon engages in various infrastructure projects, builds settlements for employees and supports school projects. The company supports local self employed people with micro loans as well as helping them with further training. For example, a seamstress was helped in this way and now makes work clothes for the employees.
SHOP MOGLi & Holle by clicking on the images below:
