Arno Atoll, Marshall Islands

The University of the South Pacific (USP) has backed many small-operator projects in the Marshall Islands. The DME coconut oil process matched their expertise since they were already producing and exporting Noni juice and had been involved with soap making.

A generous local entrepreneur, Francis Reimer, provided a property and a building on Arno atoll for the local village to use for the processing centre. The installation and training were completed in 2002 and with Francis’s business knowledge and encouragement and local teamwork, all backed by USP, the project has been producing over 40 litres/day for the local market.