Big Tree Farms: Empowering farmers in Indonesia
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin speaks in Bali, Indonesia, recognizing Big Tree Farms and OPIC support to their growth.
Country: Indonesia
Sector: Agriculture
Challenge: While the world needs to produce more food to help reduce hunger and malnutrition, it also needs to invest in food processing and transportation so that the food gets to market and farmers can earn profits and have the incentive to increase outputs.
Solution: Big Tree Farms is a U.S. company headquartered in Ashland, Oregon that is advancing sustainable, organic coconut and cocoa agriculture across the dispersed islands of Indonesia. The vertically-integrated company works with coconut and cocoa farmers to produce a variety of coconut products such as coconut sweetener and coconut water.
In addition to being Fair Trade and organic certified, the company is committed to promoting ethical labor practices. In 2015, OPIC committed a $3.7 million loan to help the company scale up operations, expand processing and production centers, and increase farmer training in sustainable agriculture and responsible land use.