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The Journey of a Chiji Palm Fruit: From Tree to Table

by with No Comment Production

The process of making Chiji’s premium palm oil starts in Imo State, Nigeria. This article explains how we turn palm fruits into high-quality oil, combining traditional methods with eco-friendly practices.

  1. The Oil Palm Farms

We work with local small-scale farmers who grow oil palms alongside other crops like cassava and yam. This mixed farming helps keep the soil healthy and provides our farmers with steady income throughout the year. Our palm trees are often over 20 years old and create a diverse environment that’s home to various birds and insects.

  1. Harvesting the Fruits

When the palm fruits turn reddish-orange, they’re ready for harvest. Our workers use long poles with curved knives to cut down the heavy fruit bunches. They’re careful to pick only the ripe fruits, which ensures good oil quality and reduces waste. Both men and women from the local community take part in the harvest.

  1. Transporting the Fruits

After harvesting, we quickly move the fruit bunches to our processing facility using wheelbarrows or small trucks. We try to process the fruits within 24 hours of picking to keep them fresh. Our processing facility is close to the farms, which helps maintain fruit quality and reduces transportation pollution.

  1. Processing at the Mill

At our mill, we first weigh and check the quality of the fruits. Then we steam them in large cookers to soften them and preserve the oil quality. We use palm kernel shells as part of our fuel for this process, which helps us recycle our own waste.

Next, we separate the fruits from the bunches and mash them into a pulp. We then press this pulp to extract the raw palm oil.

  1. Purifying the Oil

The raw oil goes through several cleaning steps. We filter out solid bits and then clarify the oil using natural settling and spinning methods. This helps us avoid using too many chemicals.

We treat and reuse the water from this process to save resources. The solid waste becomes compost for our farmers’ fields, creating a sustainable cycle.

  1. Checking the Quality

Before bottling, we thoroughly test each batch of oil. We look at its purity, color, and nutritional content. Our palm oil has a deep red-orange color, which shows it’s rich in carotenoids (beneficial plant compounds).

  1. Packaging the Oil

We put our oil in recycled plastic containers or glass bottles, depending on what our customers prefer. We use labels made from materials that break down naturally. These labels show where the oil comes from, when it was made, and its nutritional information.

  1. Delivering to Customers

Finally, we prepare the bottled oil for delivery. We send our products to local markets across Nigeria, and even to other countries as demanded.

From start to finish, many people are involved in making our palm oil. Farmers tend the trees, workers harvest and process the fruits, and our team ensures the final product meets high standards.

By choosing Chiji Best Foods palm oil, you’re getting a product that’s made with care for both people and the environment. Our methods support local farmers, maintain traditions, and try to minimize harm to nature.

Every bottle of our palm oil represents the hard work of our community and our commitment to producing quality oil in a responsible way. When you use Chiji Best Foods palm oil, you’re bringing a bit of Nigerian tradition and craftsmanship into your kitchen.

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Sustainable Stewardship: Our Commitment to the Environment

by with No Comment Environment

At Chiji Best Foods, we recognize the environmental challenges associated with palm oil production. As a family-owned business rooted in Imo State, we’re committed to balancing traditional practices with modern sustainability efforts. Here’s how we’re working to minimize our environmental impact while supporting our local community:

  1. Small-Scale Farming: Unlike large industrial plantations, we work with a network of small-scale farmers. This approach helps preserve local biodiversity and reduces the need for extensive land clearing. We provide training to our partner farmers on best practices for sustainable oil palm cultivation.
  2. Mixed Crop Cultivation: We encourage our farmers to practice mixed cropping, integrating food crops like cassava, yam, and vegetables alongside oil palms. This method promotes soil health, reduces erosion, and provides additional income sources for farmers.
  3. Manual Harvesting: We prioritize manual harvesting techniques over mechanized methods. While more labor-intensive, this approach reduces soil compaction and provides employment opportunities for local community members.
  4. Organic Waste Management: Palm fruit bunches and leaves are composted and used as natural fertilizers, reducing reliance on chemical inputs. This practice enriches the soil and minimizes waste.
  5. Water Conservation: We’ve implemented simple but effective water management techniques, including mulching to reduce evaporation and constructing small-scale water catchment systems for use during dry seasons.
  6. Energy Efficiency: Our processing facility uses energy-efficient equipment where possible. We’re exploring the feasibility of using palm kernel shells as biomass fuel to power our operations, which could significantly reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
  7. Packaging Improvements: We’re transitioning to more eco-friendly packaging options, including bottles made from recycled materials and biodegradable labels. We encourage customers to reuse or properly recycle our containers.
  8. Community Education: We regularly host workshops for local farmers and community members on sustainable agriculture practices, the importance of forest conservation, and the economic benefits of environmentally friendly farming.
  9. Reforestation Efforts: While our operations are small-scale, we’re committed to preserving local forests. We’ve partnered with a local environmental NGO to plant native tree species in degraded areas near our farms.
  10. Continuous Improvement: We’re constantly seeking ways to improve our practices. We’re in the process of pursuing certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) for smallholders, which will help us further align with global sustainability standards.

Challenges and Future Goals

We acknowledge that as a small producer, we face limitations in implementing large-scale sustainability initiatives. However, we’re committed to continuous improvement. Our future goals include:

  • Implementing a fully traceable supply chain from farm to bottle
  • Exploring options for solar energy to power our processing facility
  • Expanding our community education programs to reach more local farmers

By choosing Chiji Best Foods, you’re supporting a company that’s actively working towards more sustainable palm oil production. We believe that small steps, taken consistently, can lead to significant positive impact over time. We invite our customers to join us on this journey towards a more sustainable future for palm oil production in Nigeria.