AN agricultural firm operating in Palawan is aiming to create up to 10,000 jobs within six years as part of its overall plan to expand its product lineup and global reach.
Christian Moeller, Lionheart Farms co-founder and chairman, told The Manila Times in an interview of its ambitious plan to create thousands of new jobs from the company’s expansion of its coconut farming and processing operations in Rizal, Palawan.
“We’re already one of the biggest, if not the biggest, employers in Palawan. Creating 8,000 to 10,000 jobs in the south of Palawan raises the question of whether there will be enough people willing to work,” said Moeller.
The Power of Slow is the latest product from Lionheart Farms. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
The company started its operations in 2022.
At present, the firm operates a 3,500-hectare coconut farm with a processing facility in Palawan that currently employs 2,000 people who are mostly from the Indigenous groups in the area.
The plan is to increase the coconut farm area in Palawan and expand the reach of its value-added products that are manufactured in a facility also located in Rizal.
Lionheart’s products are made from cocosap and marketed under the CÓCOES brand, are all organic or from farms that do not use chemicals. Its current products are condiments and sweeteners that can also be purchased in bulk.
The company is also in the process of launching its newest product — The Power of Slow — a healthy beverage also made from cocosap. It won the Katha Awards for Food 2024 Best Beverage and received a Special Citation for Sustainable Practices during the 17th IFEX Philippines in April this year.
Moeller also sees more potential in replicating their business model in other communities instead of focusing in one area only.
Citing early stages of their operations in Palawan, the executive said that they also faced skepticism, especially from the locals. “Convincing locals to work with us wasn’t easy. It took a lot of effort and the advantage of understanding Asian life to build trust and demonstrate the benefits of our program,” said Moeller.
And as the company continues to grow its business, Moeller urged the government to collaborate more with the private sector, particularly in scaling the availability of planting materials.
Moeller said that in countries with better planting materials, coconut yields could be above 100 nuts per tree annually. In the case of the Philippines, the average yield is only 45 nuts per tree.
He emphasized the need for the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to collaborate more in scaling up the availability of planting material. He said that limited availability of materials hindered reinvestment in replanting, which is important in sustaining the future of farming.
“I think [the PCA] should, to a larger extent, do what is done in many other industries, and that is work together with the private sector and really come up with solutions that can scale the availability of plant material,” said Moeller.
Also, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had personally put his weight behind that plan. “And I think that to further accelerate the implementation and the realization of that plan, there is an opportunity for more collaboration with the private sector,” Moller said.
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