producer: Michael Lodge

My interest in creating a business that is connected to the land and fairly rewards the hard work of harvesters goes back to growing up on a farm in New Zealand. I would spend hours on the farm post school every day, appreciating the labour and love that goes behind growing something special. And extra bonus – it funded my university studies.

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to travel across the globe experiencing diverse jobs and cultures, which have shaped who am I today and provide my personal values and goals and the vision I have for the business and what can be achieved.

Before introducing “the hero nut”, I was working as an attorney helping small companies raise private equity which exposed me to the dark monopolies of global trade. With that came an epiphany motivating me to create a brand that stands for something. The vision for “the hero nut” stems from me wanting to establish a way of business that not only delivers a good product but becomes a force for social and environmental good.

Well…but what could that be?

I had been travelling to Philippines quite a lot for work and began learning about their local produce and specialties, coconut being one of them. The Philippines is the second largest producer of coconuts in the world, but what I was surprised to know was how little people in the West knew about where and how coconut products were produced. I don’t think its unique to coconuts, but the lack of understanding and awareness of who and how the nuts are harvested results in products being mis-sold, and the farmers not getting their due.

Spending time in the country also made me realize how warm and generous the people are, where I happened to meet my partner whose expertise in nutrition gave me a whole new perspective on mindful eating. For the longest time, I did not even know that I was lactose intolerant making me further realize how ignorant humans have become towards what they consume.

Wanting to address these issues, and promote better nutrition, gave rise to “the hero nut” coconut butter.
We like to call it “Butter for everybody”.

“The hero nut” butter provides ALL consumers a better choice for themselves and the planet. Whilst ensuring better pay and conditions for our workers, we are constantly working towards minimizing our carbon footprint by having production facilities close to plantations. ‘For everybody” means just that, the butter provides an excellent solution for those who are lactose-intolerant and vegan.

The supremacy of our product’s taste and benefits come from it being organically sourced and produced with love. We sincerely hope you enjoy it!