Virgin Coconut Oil: From Fiji Isles, to Australia and now the World!

NATURE PACIFC was founded in Australia in 2004 as a joint venture to market Virgin Coconut Oil being made by Banaban families in Fiji.

NATURE PACIFIC directors Ken Sigrah and Stacey King were already involved in the natural health industry in Australia since 1997 with direct links through out the Pacific region importing and exporting raw materials for Australian companies. So marketing the family's Virgin Coconut Oil was a natural progression. Originally they began selling the oil in bulk through out their existing business networks, but at that time even the natural health industry was not fully aware of just how important Virgin Coconut Oil would become. They soon realised that to make Nature Pacific a company that could support the full scale production required to provide a self supporting industry back in Fiji they needed to turn over volume. They also realised that by 'value adding' the raw Virgin Coconut Oil here in Australia was key to producing quality products.

The first product they made were scented body oils based on traditional blends made back on the Island.

The Banabans pride themselves on smelling good with golden glistening skin and hair and coconut oil had always been an essential part of their daily life. From that point on, they marketed their products based on the values and traditions from their Island home and realised that with the development of the BANABAN brand they could also use their products to tell the world about the plight of Ken's people - the Banabans! Today their products are exported worldwide.

If you would like to find some of the great Banaban Virgin Coconut Oil products that are now available go to: Nature Pacific

Why Banaban Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is Cold Pressed and ‘No Hexane’ is used!

With so many different types of Virgin and Coconut Oils on the market; cold pressed, expeller pressed, wet milled, centrifuged spun etc. it is important to know how your Banaban Virgin Coconut Oil is processed.

You also might have noticed that we have a NO HEXANE sticker on our labels. We believe it is important for our customers to be made aware of why hexane is used and how it can still be found in some of the ‘organic’ coconut oils in the market place.

Hexane is a hydrocarbon volatile liquid found in glue or gasoline and because it contains carbon as the primary backbone of the molecule it can be technically listed as ‘Organic’. Many companies that make Expeller Pressed Coconut oil treat the oil with chemicals like hexane to extract the remaining oil (higher yield) from coconuts when crushing them. Usually expeller pressed oil only can get about 66% of the oil from the coconuts during processing, so the yield of oil is lower unless hexane is used.

It is verifiable that hexane in great quantities can be very dangerous. When inhaled it is can cause sleepiness, nausea, and headaches. Chronic hexane inhalation may result in cramping and muscle weakness. Muscles may also deteriorate. These effects will steadily decline after exposure to hexane ends. But in inhaled form, it is most definitely a toxin that affects the central nervous system.

When expeller pressed coconut oil is treated with hexane, it is also heated. This kills off the majority of the hexane and in the process will also destroy the important Vitamin E content of your Coconut Oil. It is unclear whether trace amounts, if any, still exist in the oil after heating. It is also unclear whether tiny amounts of ingested hexane have health risks.

If there are small amounts of hexane in oil, it could become an inhalant if the oil is cooked. So people who do a large amount of cooking with oil, like frying food everyday, might possibly be inhaling very small amounts of hexane. So just because you think that Organic Virgin Coconut oil is ‘chemical free’ make sure you understand the different types of processing methods and why Nature Pacific believes in a totally natural form of cold pressing of fully mature coconuts to recover the highest levels of important lauric acid and vitamin E where ever possible.

So we can assure you that NO HEXANE is used during the processing of our oil. To learn more about Banaban Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Issue No.3 'Coconut Wireless' Nov-Dec 2008

Organic popcorn and virgin coconut oil belong together

Organic Food Examiner
Examiner.com - USA
8 December 2008

Another advantage to making my own popcorn is the oil and butter I use: virgin coconut oil, a staple in my kitchen; and organic butter ... In case bypassing microwave popcorn in favor of making your family's next bowl of popcorn on the stovetop appeals to your tastebuds, try my recipe...

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