Press On ... Coconuts!
Dale Hampshire
Date Posted: June 7 2010.
Baiap Village, Vanuatu.
Coconut oil from your own personal press, is it possible? It is now.
South Pacific islanders in the remote island village of Baiap in Vanuatu got a chance this week to try for themselves this new technology developed by Villages First.
The press is designed to be fabricated in the village using simple, non-electric hand tools and readily available materials. The unique design of the auger makes the handle easy to turn, captures 70% of the coconut’s oil, and produces a liter of oil an hour. The raw material, shredded coconut, is simply dried in the sunshine before pressing. The press is affordable to any household in the village - locally made for $30 each. This is good news, not just for villagers, but also for the village economy.
For more information about this oil press, read about The Hand-Powered Coconut Oil Press in Technologies We Are Developing.