The house that coconut built

MANILA, Philippines - “It’s not just a business, but part of my advocacy,” Jun Castillo is quick to clarify when talking about The Coconut House, a restaurant tucked amidst the lush greenery of the Quezon Memorial Circle. Castillo has spent the past 30 years working with and defending the rights of coconut farmers.

Coconut agriculture is a huge industry in the Philippines, accounting for some 20 percent of the country’s total agriculture. Castillo – who has become an expert on the agriculture, history, and politics of the industry – shares that it is made up of 3.5 million coconut farmers who together make a significant contribution to the national economy. “But they are the most impoverished farmers,” he points out. “Only the big businessmen benefit from the industry.”

Castillo is part of a society of advocates called the New Philippine Coconut Society whose goal is to foster a new coconut industry in favor of the farmers.

In the still dominant old coconut industry, mature coconut is only used to produce copra, which is processed into oil that is used in explosives, detergents, and soap. When producing copra, three-fourths of the valuable elements of the coconut are thrown away – the milk, flour, and water.

In the new coconut industry, Castillo explains, all the elements are taken advantage of to the fullest. Additionally, instead of producing copra oil, a cleaner oil is produced – the recently popular virgin coconut oil, which can be used both for food and industry.

“We want to replace the old coconut industry that favors only the few, with a new industry we call the fresh coconut industry which would benefit the farmers, the industry, and the nation,” he says.

Castillo started using coconuts in his ice cream business – in a factory literally in his own backyard. This developed into The Ice Cream House which now has 85 outlets all over Luzon. The ice cream parlor sells both dairy and non-dairy ice cream – the non-dairy variety being refreshing coconut ice cream that is made completely of coconut products and is much healthier and lower in sugar (it uses coconut sugar) than its dairy counterpart.

In 2006, Castillo opened The Coconut House in Xavierville in Quezon City and in 2009, the restaurant opened in the Quezon Memorial Circle, when the park’s administration office wanted to offer visitors a healthier dining option than fast food.

The Coconut House’s cuisine features dishes that all use coconut and are all-organic, organic agriculture being another of Castillo’s advocacies.

Restaurant manager Jaime Hernandez shares that among the dishes offered in the restaurant, the bestsellers include suman latik made with black unpolished organic rice; black lugaw (porridge) with buko strips that often fools diners into thinking it is dinuguan; the intriguing pancit buko with noodles made of the coconut meat; and coco okoy made with coconut flour.

The restaurant’s binalot meals include gatadobo, calderetang dagat, and salpicao, which all come with organic rice.

All these capped with desserts featuring even more coconut: halo-halo that is said to rival the country’s most popular halo-halo brands, buko sherbet and, of course, the well-loved coconut ice cream.

Castillo is particularly proud of the restaurant’s drinks which he conceptualized himself. “Tagisan” is hot chocolate or coffee with coconut ice cream – a battle between hot and cold. “Pagmulat” is made of sparkling coconut juice with either grenadine or blue curacao – the fizz will awaken the senses, Castillo and Hernandez explain. “Kapayapaan” is cold buko juice with ice cream – the melting ice cream symbolizes tranquility and solitude.

Customers have responded well to the offerings of The Coconut House, flocking to the restaurant to enjoy the nutritious and delicious food. With the unique concept, the restaurant has even become a tourist attraction. “We have had outstanding and overwhelming response,” says Hernandez.

The Coconut House also sells virgin coconut oil, lambanog, tuba, coco ginger tea, lotion, keychains, accessories, baskets – virtually any product made of coconut, all in support of various cooperatives. “They call me ‘cocoloko!’” Castillo quips with obvious pride and delight.

Among the new products Castillo is developing is “2Big Nyog” coconut water, which Castillo explains is different from buko juice, as the water comes from mature coconut and has even more nutrients and vitamins than the young coconut used to make the juice. “It is more potent,” he says.

Drinking coconut water has recently become an international fad led by Hollywood celebrities wanting to stay fit, but Castillo notes that in the Philippines, coconut farmers just throw away the water when making copra. “That’s 12 billion nuts every year,” he says, “which yields 4 billion liters of coconut water.” Castillo now goes to different provinces all over the country teaching the farmers how to make coco water concentrate.

Jun Castillo of The Coconut House, flanked by two of the restaurant’s friendly waitresses.

Already, the Ateneo sports office has made a deal to switch to coconut water instead of providing their athletes with sports drinks.

Other new products are “CocoNot Soy” – an all purpose sauce, and coconut milk, which Castillo explains is superior to dairy and better for Asians, many of whom are lactose intolerant. He adds that coconut evaporada and condensada cost much less to produce and can therefore be sold at a lower price, and are also healthier and tastier. “We’ll be free from the burden of importation and produce milk with higher quality with indigenous products,” he says.

Castillo calls coconut trees “coconut cows,” sharing that, if properly taken care of, ten coconut trees can provide a year’s supply of milk for a family of seven.

“I encourage farmers to form cooperatives,” Castillo says of his advocacy. “If they are able to do this, they will make more than what they are earning from copra.”

The ultimate goal, he says, is to achieve social emancipation. “I want to transfer this business sense to the farmers… They can empower themselves without help of the government.”

Castillo openly shares the processes and dishes he has developed with everyone, freely and without fear of competition. He calls his endeavor a social enterprise wherein the business is established to help people as well as earn – a concept that is several steps beyond the usual corporate social responsibility projects of most companies.

“We do business to help the country. We put the profits we make back into our social activities. That’s the type of business we want to encourage.”