We discovered a natural treasure, in Ecuador, in Junin, in the province of Manabi, respectful of the environment and biodiversity: the Tagua nut, also called “vegetable Ivory”.
The Tagua nut is a seed from the Taguale fruit. The Taguale is a palm tree that can grow up to 3 meters high, growing in a humid tropical climate, between 800 and 1,500 meters of altitude. It takes 12 years for the Taguale to produce its first fruit, making the Tagua nut very valuable.
Used for centuries in jewelry as an alternative to ivory, the Tagua nut is revered because its preciousness encourages the Ecuadorian people to preserve their “Taguales” forests and thus avoid deforestation. The exploitation of the Tagua nut encourages many environmental and social dynamics.
By avoiding deforestation, the natural balance of this province of Ecuador is preserved. Because of this environmentally friendly exploitation, the exploiting families receive additional incomes allowing them to significantly increase their standard of living. As a result, communities have been able to develop new jobs and provide access to education and health through new infrastructure, which is essential to the well-being of the population. To support these dynamics, we have designed an ideal exfoliant for the face and body.
From the crushed Tagua nut, we grind and sieve this raw material to obtain exfoliating particles ideal for formulating scrubs and skin care products.