Coco water plant pagabuhaton sa Baybay

Filipino-owned SC Global Coco Products, Inc. will finally open its P200 million coconut water processing plant in Baybay City this year after it encountered delays in the transport of major equipments

Emmanuel Licup, SC Global managing director said ,that the plant is now 95% complete and they are expecting to open on the second week of August, seven months later than its target on January.

“We are still waiting for the delivery of remaining equipment from Europe and India. Hopefully, we will to start by August 11. That would be an ideal date for us to start the operation,” Licup said in a mobile phone interview.

The official expects the arrival of equipments anytime this month and testing will be done in one or two weeks before going into full operation. On a daily basis, the plant will need 200,000 pieces of matured nuts to produce up to 80,000 liters of coco water for shipment to the United States.

Buying stations will be set up by SC Global in strategic areas of Leyte and Samar to sustain its raw material need. Licup said they are upbeat with the Western market prospect as the organic drink is an emerging competitor in the United States’ “cola wars.”

“Majority of our produce will be shipped to the United States and some in Europe. It’s already covered with a marketing agreement between SC Global and a firm in the United States signed late last year,” Licup said.

Among the leading US brands of coconut water are Vita Coco, O.N.E., Zico, C2O, Coco Libre, and Harmless Harvest, according to beveragemarketing.com.

In 2011, the country has produced 16,685,350 liters of coco water with an export value $15.11 million. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Regional Manager Edilberto Nierva said the launching of SC Global coco water production will help the region’s coconut farmers as they become less dependent to copra.

“There will be more added value to coconut aside from copra,” he said

As the second biggest producer in the country, the region yields an average of two billion nuts annually with 71,709,605 bearing trees. Licup said that 80% of coconut water is being wasted in course of copra processing, sending signals of ample raw material supply for SC Global in the region.

Established in 2006 in Baybay, SC Global is the world’s largest producer of organic coconut oil which exports 6,000 metric tons a month under the Bio Coco brand.

To cash in on the consistent increasing demand for healthy products, SC Global also produces desiccated coconut, and virgin coconut oil. Concerned with the poor grade of the country’s coconut oil, SC Global invested P166 million for the establishment of a modern coconut oil refining facility in 2007.