In today’s episode, we are joined by Stephen Freed and Erik Olson, the founder, and president of Dignity Coconuts. This incredible company was started to create opportunities for communities experiencing poverty. Stephen felt called to figure out a way to help those in the Philippines who typically experience dangerous employment conditions. During this episode, we discuss issues while building a company outside of the US, how the pandemic affected their business, and their impact on the people in the villages. Tune in today to hear their inspiring story and begin to think about how your company might be able to create transformational change in the world. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [5:19] What is Dignity Coconuts? 
• [8:19] What was the plan for the company? 
• [9:30] How have politics affected the business?
• [11:05] How did Erik come on board, and what was his role?
• [13:23] What issues did they face while building a factory in the Philippines? 
• [15:45] What was the population in the villages when Dignity Coconuts started, and how has it grown? 
• [16:38] Where do they sell their products? 
• [17:09] Has Stephen always been involved in non-profits? 
• [18:21] What is the current revenue estimate for the next 12 months? 
• [20:35] In 2020, was the business able to do any sort of exporting? 
• [25:17] During the pandemic, were they able to keep up their supply chain? 
• [26:17] What are their plans for the future? 
• [28:34] What countries have the largest supply of coconuts? 
• [30:03] Where can someone buy Dignity Coconut products? 
• [31:02] Are they specific to retailers or expanding to wholesalers? 
• [33:16] What kinds of bundles can a customer buy? 
• [34:20] How many employees does Dignity Coconut have?
• [35:30] How did they get into big-name stores? 
• [36:20] How does their price point compare to competitors? 
• [37:41] Have they always been organic certified? 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• You can put a business in a difficult area and make a difference in the world and communities. 
• The Philippines has an over 70% unemployment rate. Most of the community is overworked, lonely, abused, and trafficked. Much of the population has to go elsewhere to find any work. Dignity Coconuts created a way for people to live and work in their villages so they didn’t have to leave home to work.  
• Most businesses could add an aspect of community outreach to their business. Not only will they grow their business profits, but they will help out communities that otherwise are struggling to have the things we take for granted in America. 

BIO:

We saw a problem: abject poverty. So we set out to find a solution. What we found was a sustainable business. The kind of business that transforms communities. We provide jobs to break the chains of poverty and slavery. We know that a person who is empowered to work and make a living for his or her family is a dignified person. And that person is less likely to become trapped in harmful cycles.

WHAT

We are committed to making the best products on the market. Our team of engineers from the Philippines and the US created a proprietary method for extracting coconut oil. This gentle way to obtain the oil creates the best coconut oil on earth – a product our staff can proudly sell to the global market.

We also bring jobs to those who need them most in hard-to-reach places, often distressed communities. Even if it makes our jobs harder. Because that is where the business can transform communities. Those are the places where our business can be a catalyst to improve issues like unemployment rates, cycles of sickness, personal finances, education, environment, business development, leadership, and water sanitation.

WHERE

Our production plant is located in a relatively untouched area of the Philippines, full of pristine coconut trees. We have individually organic certified over 63,000 trees. We have trained our small-scale farmers in organic and sustainable practices that allow them to be proud of their harvest, as well as get a higher price for their work. Our 85 plant workers are paid fair wages for their work and given opportunities for training. 

WHO

The message so many impoverished people hear is that they are somehow less – less intelligent, less capable, less motivated. Years of believing this can bury a person’s dignity. But it just isn’t true. We are seeing those lies shattered. We are seeing dignity unearthed and hope arises in villages along the coast of an often ignored part of the Philippines.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Dignity Coconuts Website

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