|
The Thai lady who sits in front of me, Ms Waraporn Manusrungsri, is a nimble, petite person who exports her aromatic young coconuts from
Thailand to more than 30 countries around the world. Her simple dress is jeans and a polo shirt with her company K Fresh’s logo, the company she created more than 10 years
ago.I found her very attractive with simplicity, a smiling face and her eyes with strong will and dedication. She loves to share good thoughts and good things with all people,
whether they are consumers, business partners or those who want to jump into the aromatic coconut business. She declares that her success comes partly from her husband's
vision to revive the economy from its original business problem, based on selling quality products coupled with business integrity.
JY: What brought you to a turning point to export Thai aromatic coconuts?
WM: I come from a Chinese family with a business mind and the purview of conscientious effort was implanted in a patient, firm
way. As a child I started my first business selling snacks, fresh fruits and pickled fruits and when I was grown-up I ran a bookstore, a Sangkhapan shop (supply shop for
Buddhist monks) and I opened Future Kids School of Computer and Art Center, for kids. Some of my businesses were successful and some were a failure.
My husband's family coconut sugar business was hit by the country’s economic crisis for many years and ended up with debts.
Tenyears ago we received a great opportunity from a Thai friend in the United States who gave us ideas and advice on opening a market for Thai aromatic coconuts. A commercial
bank gave us support with loans when they saw our capacity to borrow money and to make the business grow. We started to learn seriously about Thai aromatic coconuts. Later on we
supported Kasetsart University with funds to research the post-harvest management of Thai aromatic coconuts. We released this research to the public, which we hoped would be
beneficial to all parties. As a result, our customers have more and more confidence in our company. Today we are proud to be one of Thailand's leading Thai aromatic coconut
exporters with global markets.
JY: What makes Thai aromatic coconut unlike coconuts from other countries?
WM: Thanks to the coconut growers of Thailand who selected the best variety of Thai aromatic coconuts through their local
knowledge and wisdom. It is a strain with aromatic coconut water which is quite unique, unlike coconuts from other countries. To export we need good quality of Thai aromatic
coconuts and business integrity. It is easier for a buyer to see other fruits' quality, but for Thai aromatic coconuts, sometimes
the sellers do not know the quality of the coconuts and the buyers do not have information about good quality coconuts.
Some coconuts may be with no meat, some with mature meat, some with sweet water and some with sour water.
But skilled coconut farmers must know what they cut and wait until the right time to cut. The export quality we prefer is not
too young coconuts that have sweet water, medium thick meat and hard shells.
JY: What are your markets?
WM: Our main market is still North America, where we have our sole distributor. Other markets are European countries like
the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. We export also to Australia. For Asian countries we export to
China, Hong Kong,. Korea, Japan and Indonesia. Recently we also began to sell our Thai aromatic coconuts to Russia and Israel.
JY: Tell us about the problems you experienced and how you dealt with them.
WM: In the early days of our export business, we found problems with the quality of the product. One container we pack
with more than 20,000 coconuts. If we have 10 young coconuts in our containers, they can damage the whole lot when they
explode. Since coconut water is a good nutrient for bacteria, they can destroy other paper cartons in the containers—the damage caused by young coconuts is enormous.
For post-harvest handling, we built our standard packing facility with cold storage to prolong the shelf-life of coconuts. Due to
transportation times, the shelf-life of the product must last for up to two months. We have developed a model for innovation in
product packaging for its preservation. without the contamination of harmful chemicals. The product can be sent all over the world.
For the production of coconuts as raw materials from the farm, my family has its own coconut farm for farmers in our network
to learn more about coconuts. We grow and take care our farm according to the international organic standards: USDA-NOP
and EU Organic United States of Europe. However. since 2014 our coconut plantations and packing facility have been organic
certified by OneCert Inc., USA. Other food safety standards for our factory include GMP, HACCP, BRC, et al. We have SGS for third-party surveillance and assurance.
JY: What is the development trend for your business in the future?
WM: Our heart is to help farmers to increase the value of their coconuts. Before we selected only good coconuts and rejected
others with inferior quality. We felt so sorry that we could not help our farmers as much as we could, especially during certain
periods of the year when the harvest is at its peak. Our farmers love us and have hope with us. We share with them our vision,
our plan for new projects, our inspiration. We think once we have Thai aromatic coconuts as the best raw materials in the
world we have to stand up and do something for our farmers.
We have therefore created our brand All Coco, which represents processed products from Thai aromatic coconuts. We have
produced coconut ice cream with more than 20 flavors. Our products taste good and we received positive feedback,
especially from customers who are allergic to cow’s milk ice cream. We produce coconut pudding like no others in Thailand
with healthy ingredients. We produce Coco Snow Flakes from coconut water and coconut puddings. These products are sold in
our store All Coco located in several leading shopping malls in Bangkok.
From what I have done in the past, the business of All Coco is the most difficult in my life. Fortunately, we have consultants
who are experts in various fields and staff in related areas who help us with good guidance. I thank my good team that brings together support to move our business forward.
JY: How to continue to make your business a successful one?
WM: To do anything we must learn about how to do it properly so that we can teach others. I have accumulated experience and
am ready to understand everything that happens. When a problem is solved gradually it brings understanding of the
spiritual, and the mental. It is the intellectual light that comes to us as a way to clear up the problem. We are blessed with wisdom
and wealth from the relationships we have built. Most people want to get but I believe that we must recognize that we have to give first. It is very encouraging, then everything will be
allocated in terms of functionality and lasting happiness.
I am glad that today I am proud to celebrate the brand All Coco brand with Thai people, which was in the beginning to help
coconut farmers. We are proud to be innovators of products from Thai aromatic coconuts with all the scent, the natural taste
and the benefits intact. We educate consumers about the benefits of coconut for good health. All Coco is a Thailand brand
for the global market. This year K Fresh and All Coco was selected by the Government of Thailand to participate in the
trade show at the World Expo 2015 during May-October 2015 in Milan, Italy.
In addition to the business, we also run a fair trade program with our farmers. We provide wages and fringe benefits for
workers, equally in both Thailand and overseas. We provide care and education for the children of workers. Our factory is 100%
free of drugs. We take workers to do community service to encourage good deeds. We arrange many activities for the staff and workers all year round to keep everyone happy.
For my success in business today I would like to express my enduring gratitude to my husband, Mr. Khematat Manusrangsri,
who supports me with a panoramic vision of a business plan to be successful. He is my pride in life. I found in him the right man
who can bring both family and business on to a good path. Our pride today also includes our daughter and our son who work
with us diligently, with responsibility and self-confidence to help us in various roles in the business sector.
|
