Something delicious from Sri Lanka
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Coconut
History and its use
The coconut are dried under the high
palms
For thousands of years the coconut has been a treasured foodstuff and a source of raw materials.
Thanks to its positive properties and its delightful flavour the coconut also becomes increasingly
­popular in our kitchen.
Botany
Coconuts are drupes with a maximum weight of
1 kg. The nuts are covered with a thin leathery shell
under which is a thick and fibrous layer. The core
itself consists of a hard shell, which protects the
white pulp that is covered with a reddish brown
skin. Coconut palms grow up to 25 metres. From
the sixth year on the blossoms start to grow. The
tree bears fruits all year round, which are in different stages of development. That’s why the coconuts ripen on and on. One palm provides between
30 and 40 fruits per year and is up to 120 years old.
The nuts are harvested with the help of
a long stick
Origin: Sri Lanka
The organic cultivated nuts for Rapunzel come
from Sri Lanka. The coconut palms are cultivated
in mixed culture. The palms are fertilized with potassium-rich coconut fibres, which are buried under the palm. That is why the water can be stored
better and the palm gets all the nutrition it needs.
Nutritional importance
The green shell of the coconut is removed on-site
The coconut is a special nut. With a content of
36.5 % the coconut has less fat than other nuts.
Saturated fatty acids are dominating but still the
coconut fat has a positive influence on the lipid metabolism. This effect is based on the high ­content
of the medium chain fatty acids and ­especially of
the lauric acid. The lauric acid increases the beneficial HDL cholesterol, which protects against
cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, coconuts
contain lots of protein, vitamin B and also important minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium
and iron.
Deodorized coconut fat has a mild taste. The
­intense coconut taste is removed with the help of
steam. Coconut oil and coconut fat are ideal for
the hot kitchen because both keep all their good
qualities when heated. When heated no harmful
substances or free radicals are released. Due to the
fact that coconut oil does not oxidize there won’t
be any residues during frying in the pan.
Coconut milk
In order to obtain coconut milk the flesh becomes
watered until it falls apart. Afterwards, the milk
gets pressed. The concentrated coconut milk is
mixed with water in order to obtain the desired fat
content. The result is a particularly creamy consistency – without any other additives!
Coconut cream
Coconut cream consists of only pure coconut flesh.
The freshly harvested coconut is dried and finely
grinded to obtain a tender texture. The coconut
cream can be used for baking or cooking. After
opening it can be kept for a long time when refrigerated. Easy to dose due to the 2 x 50 g packages.
Ideal for the vegan kitchen
Regardless of whether you take coconut milk,
­coconut cream, coconut oils or coconut fat – you
will find numerous ways of using these coconut
products to bring a touch of exotic in every kitchen. Coconut milk and cream are a vegan alternative for people with intolerance to cow’s milk.
Pumpkin soup or Indian curry become extra
­creamy.
In the processing factory the brown
shells are removed
The big variety of the Rapunzel coconut products
Harvest and Processing
Coconuts are harvested every six weeks. Directly
on the field the fibrous cover is removed from the
coconut. This is followed by additional processing
steps that differ with the type of the coconut product that is being produced.
Afterwards the coconuts are cleaned
thoroughly with water
All project pictures of this report has been kindly provided by
Serendipol
The coconut and its numerous uses
Virgin coconut oil and deodorized coconut fat
To obtain virgin coconut oil the hard shell becomes broken. The core becomes washed with
­water, grated, dried and pressed until the coconut
oil comes out. Coconut oil is solid at room temperatures. The reason is the high content of saturated
fatty acids of about 90 %. After opening the glass, it
can be kept for a long time in a fridge. Compared
to the deodorized coconut fat the virgin coconut
oil has a very intensive exotic coconut taste.
FAQ – frequently asked questions:
Is Rapunzel coconut milk homogenized?
Is coconut fat a healthy edible fat?
Rapunzel coconut milk is NOT homogenized. This is visible by
the fact that the coconut milk builds up a separated cream, just
like untreated milk. The fat separates from the water content
and settles on the surface. Rapunzel coconut milk is especially
creamy because the content of the core is so high.
Coconut fat and coconut oil contain predominantly saturated
fatty acids. Although they are known as unhealthy, studies show
that the coconut fat and the coconut oil have a positive influence
on the lipid metabolism. Coconut fat and coconut oil are rich in
lauric acid. This is a medium-chain fatty acid which increases
the “good” HDL fat. HDL protects from cardiovascular diseases.
Wir machen Bio aus Liebe.
Virgin organic coconut oil from Serendipol, Sri Lanka
New HAND IN HAND partner
Since mid 2011 Rapunzel works together with the coconut oil project Serendipol in Sri Lanka.
From there we get the new virgin organic coconut oil, which is totally new on the market. The
first contact was in the beginning of 2010 when Joseph Wilhelm travelled to Sri Lanka to visit
the Rapunzel coconut project. With this opportunity he got to know the organic oil mill from
Serendipol.
The project from Serendipol is similar to our own organic project for our organic grated
coconut and coconut chips in Sri Lanka: the farmers of the project are supported by qualified
crop consultants. Therefore, the whole chain, beginning from cultivation to the processing, is
managed by Serendipol only and is therefore perfectly supervised. The organic coconuts from
Serendipol are exclusively used for organic coconut oil.
From the beginning, the project of Serendipol was conceived as an organic and fair-trade project. Therefore, we were able to arrange a HAND IN HAND on-site visit in fall this year. We are
happy to welcome Serendipol as a new HAND IN HAND partner and look forward to working
with them!
In July 2011 the manager of the quality assurance of Serendipol, Inosha Shamini, was our guest
in Legau. During more than two weeks she got to know the different Rapunzel departments
and especially our quality assurance and our production facilities.
For more information about the Rapunzel HAND IN HAND: www.rapunzel.de
Wir machen Bio aus Liebe.
HAND IN HAND
The quality assurance manager of
Serendipol, Inosha Shamini with the
colleagues of Rapunzel