More succes for the tengkawang project

Tengkawang factory
Tengkawang factory

Since the Masarang Foundation opened the tengkawang (or illipe butter) factory (through a donation of the Dutch Otter Foundation) on the 19th of August 2014, a lot had happened for the tengkawang project. In a matter of months the factory was built and in August and September of that year the first tons of nuts were bought and dried and the first tons of butter were produced with a crew of 20 people from various villages nearby. After the first tengkawang season, the factory moved focus to other activities that involved using the pressing residue from the tengkawang nuts, such as keeping pigs and fish and feeding them on the residue, as well as making a large vegetable garden using compost made with the residue and biochar that is also produced in the process.

In 2015, 4 students from the Netherlands from TU Delft university did a project in the factory and set up the right equipment for producing soap in the factory, with illipe butter as one of the main ingredients. And through the help of the sLUSH Foundation, the drying system in the factory was improved.

In 2016, there was another large harvest of illipe nuts in the region. With the help of the AKBH Foundation, the factory managed to produce three times the amount of illipe butter, compared to 2014. Nuts were bought from 157 farmers in the region, increasing their annual income by 16% on average. The factory also managed to close deals with its first large buyers. Also, a network was formed of organizations and people who work with communities in West Kalimantan to promote the cultivation and production of illipe butter.

Plans for 2017
This year, the factory is adding some more products to its portfolio, including kemiri oil (or candlenut oil), rubber seed oil and castor oil. The factory also aims to distribute so-called tengkawang ‘plus trees’; trees that can produce illipe nuts on a yearly basis, in the region surrounding of the factory. A small renovation and touch-up of the factory was done, as can be seen on the pictures. Furthermore, the team is aiming to sell out its remaining stock before the end of the year, while it is preparing to again triple the production in 2018 through various improvements in the process. And last but not least, another goal for this year is to get the illipe butter factory and the butter certified.

We like to take this opportunity to thank all the generous donors of the Masarang Foundation for their support.

For general or sales inquiries about illipe butter or other products, please feel free to contact us at dj.oudshoorn@masarang.company.

Oil press
Oil press