Ojon® - "wildcrafted beauty" - The Official Website
home

shopcustomer servicesalonswhat's newwhere to buy

how ojon is helping to make a difference



Ojon joins in effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina






The Team of Mopawi and Ojon Corporation
The Team of Mopawi and Ojon® Corporation



To understand our relationship with the Tawira, you have to first understand their relationship with Mopawi.

Mopawi is a non-profit group dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the native Miskito and Garifuna populations in La Mosquitia, a rainforest in eastern Honduras. Their name comes from “Moskito Pawisa,” which means “development of la moskitia.”

Mopawi believes that both the ecosystem and culture of the Mosquitia region are at risk. As natural resources become scarce elsewhere, outside interests have attempted to move in to exploit the region. Mopawi works as an advocate for the Miskito (called “Tawira” in their native language), reviewing any proposed development projects, and approving only those that they deem to be in the best interest of the rainforest and its native people.

Ojon for Sale
For some years, the Tawira sold ojon oil to others in the region on a very small scale. In the mid-1980s Mopawi helped them to promote the product on a national level, in hopes of generating income for the producer families in the region. By the 1990s, they were selling less than 2,000 liters (about 2,500 small bottles) of ojon oil a year, generating approximately $5,000 a year. This meant an income of less than $67 per producer each year.

At the end of the 1990s, Denis Simioni, now president of
Ojon® Corp., appeared on the scene expressing an interest in marketing the product internationally. With the consent and assistance of Mopawi, we placed our first order of ojon oil with the Tawira in mid-2003 – 4,500 liters (about 6,000 bottles). In order to ensure that the Tawira would gain a better quality of life from the venture, Ojon® Corp. offered to pay 230% of the previous market price for the raw oil.

In 2004 production totaled 30,000 liters, providing the Tawira with an increase in income of 450%, benefiting over thousands of people.

Improving on Tradition
Traditional methods of extracting the oil from the ojon nuts required large quantities of firewood, which was taken from the rainforest. In order to preserve this resource,
Ojon® has begun supplying the Tawira with high efficiency clay ovens.

We also supply motor boats to help with the transportation of the raw ingredient from village to village. In fact,
Ojon® Corp and Mopawi have taken full responsibility for transporting the Ojon® oil. Previously, producers had to carry small quantities of ojon from their villages to sell in Puerto Lempira, a journey of 1 to 3 days paddling each way.

Partners in Progress
Ojon® Corporation holds annual meetings in the rainforest with all of the producers. We go from one village to the next, listening to any concerns and providing an update on the progress of Ojon® in the marketplace.

Naturally, Mopawi and the Tawira want to secure sustainable long-term benefits from
Ojon® production and commercialization. Forest management is essential. A first study has been completed to understand the current status of the palm trees in the rainforest and the management requirement going forward. Ojon® Corporation has committed to providing a percentage of earnings to the Tawira for forest management purposes.

Supporting Education
An Ojon® Scholarship Fund will be started in 2005 to benefit disadvantaged school children in the Ojon® production area of Rio Kruta and the vicinity. This Fund will encourage youth to further their studies and develop leadership skills. In the first phase of the project, the Fund will help them to access secondary level education; in future, a higher education. A local Community Committee will administer the Fund, granting scholarships to the most outstanding students based on school records and guided by a scholarship regulation system.


 
Subscribe to Ojon's FREE eMail newsletter to receive new product updates, exclusive promotions, contests and experts tips.