Coconut oil is one of the many commercial-end products that can be gotten from a coconut tree.
The oil is made from coconut fruits and is said to be much better than groundnut oil in terms of its benefits to health.
Coconut oil production is a very profitable business and it’s less capital intensive than other forms of coconut-related products.
Asides that, its health benefits are numerous, as it contains nutrients for building the body’s immune system.
Research has shown that coconut oil contains a type of fatty acid known as lauric, which helps to build the body’s immune system to fight against diseases and antibodies in the body system.
It is also used for cooking, such that the saturated acid found in coconut oil can be easily broken down into absorbable bits, which is why most people prefer using the oil to cook to other saturated oil like groundnut, palm and melon oils.
Another benefit of coconut oil is its weight loss properties. People who are trying to shed some excess weight can drink more of coconut oil.
This is because the oil contains nutrients that help increase the body metabolism rate and break down food faster for the body to easily absorb. Coconut oil is applied on the skin to make it look smoother and softer, as it can also be used to clear stretch marks.
EXPERT’S ADVICE
The Chief Executive Officer, Nature Love Virgin Coconut Oil, Mrs. Ronke Agbovi, said that the good thing about coconut oil production is that it involves little capital, as low as N30,000, and the source of its raw materials is readily available.
The main raw material required to produce the coconut oil is the coconut fruit, for which a supplier who could supply healthy coconut fruits in large quantity and at very cheaper rate can easily be found.
She explained, “The major tool one will need for the business is the grater or blender, which is the soul of the business. It can either be manual or automatic, it all depends on the capital available at hand and the scale of production for the business.
“The capital can also help you purchase raw coconut stocks, storage containers for purchased coconut, filter cloth or sieve, storage containers for the final product and pet containers.
The major tool one will need for the business is the grater or blender, which is the soul of the business
You will need to brand your product so as to make the packaging look presentable and attractive.” She added that there was no need renting a shop, unless the business is on a very large scale; adding that all that is needed is you can just carve out a work space in your home, and make the area you intend to dedicate to your production business hygienic.
It could be a room within your house, depending on the scale of production you are targeting, but an average target of producing three litres on a daily basis won’t be a bad idea if you set your mind to it.
The production of coconut oil can be achieved in two ways, with or without the use of water. If you are using water for production, the process is called ‘wet milling’. This means the oil is extracted from coconut milk, which is the easiest way to prepare the oil.
This is why it is important that you get a steady supply of water, because to process a litre of virgin coconut oil, you will need about four to 10 litres of water with 10 to 15 matured coconuts, as the number of coconuts needed is dependent of the quantity of oil you want to make.
All you need to do is to break the coconuts and scrap out the meaty part of the coconut, which is white in colour, then cut into smaller pieces and put in a blender for grinding.
RECALL
• Capital start up is minimal
• Access to raw materials is easy
• It has high health benefits
After blending the nuts, check to see if it has turned into creamy whitish water, then take a sieve or cloth and separate the fibre from the milky water. Then you place the water in a container and leave it overnight. By the next morning, the water would have been separated and the oil will settle on the bottom of the container. Carefully scoop out the top particles from the container, then you have the coconut oil. On the other hand, in the case of producing the coconut oil without using water, which is called the ‘dry method’ or the ‘dry route’, you desiccate the grated coconut, and then press out the oil from the dried coconut flakes, using low or high pressure methods.
All you need to do after grating the coconut is to dry them under 78 degree Celsius, and then use high pressure motorised grinder to expel the oil from the grated and dried coconut flesh. “But of the two production methods, the wet milled coconut oil has the highest quality, because it is obtained from coconut milk that contains no natural gums.
Hence, virgin coconut oil produced from coconut milk is always light in texture, soaks easily into the skin and is non greasy upon touch, which is why virgin coconut oil gotten from milk is mostly used in most cosmetic applications requiring coconut oil,” she added.
After you get your oil, then you package your product. You should be mindful of your packaging, as there are multiples of coconut oil brands in the market. How you package your own product will determine if it will sell or not.
You need to package your coconut oil product in such a way that anybody that sees it for the first time would wish to know what is in the package, remember, first impression matters a lot.
