From Gen Z innovation to
zero-waste businesses, Filipino coco-preneurs are taking coconut somewhere new
Around 300 Filipino coco-preneurs are transforming the
country's "tree of life" into fresh ideas, innovative products, and
businesses ready to grow.
A coconut might feel like the
most familiar thing in a Filipino kitchen, but what local entrepreneurs are
actually doing with it these days is anything but ordinary. A college
feasibility study has turned into a Gen Z-run coconut milk business. Surplus shells
that used to get thrown away are now handcrafted bags supporting more than 100
workers. And one entrepreneur alone has built around 40 different products by
finding new uses for practically every part of the coconut.
These are just a few of the
ideas and founder stories on display at the DTI-Bagong Pilipinas
COCONUTPhilippines Trade Fair 2026, running now at SMX Convention Center Manila
until August 30.
“Over the next five days, we
bring our coco-preneurs, our buyers, shoppers and partners together under one
roof here in SMX as we celebrate National Coconut Week,” said DTI Assistant
Secretary Nylah Rizza Bautista during the opening ceremony.
Mounted by the Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) with the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Coconut
Authority (DA-PCA) and the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan
(CFIDP), the fair brings together roughly 300 coconut MSMEs nationwide. SM
Supermalls, through SM for MSMEs, is providing the marketplace, giving
entrepreneurs greater visibility and a shot at reaching more customers — which
means visitors get an early look at some genuinely fresh ideas, and maybe the
next great Filipino brand before anyone else has heard of it.
Coconut, reimagined. From food and beverages to
fashion, home, and lifestyle finds, Filipino entrepreneurs transform the
"tree of life" into innovative, market-ready products — showing
there's still so much more to discover from one coconut.
Here are five discoveries worth
making before the fair wraps up.
1. One Coconut, Way More Possibilities Than You'd Expect
For Elmer Marbello, General
Manager of Marbello's Processed Foods Manufacturing, nearly every part of the
coconut can inspire another product. He's developed around 40 so far, including
coconut liniment and coconut bagoong made from what's left over after
processing.
“Mahilig po talaga akong
mag-develop ng products. I have about 40 that I have developed. Lahat po ng
parte ng coconut, ginamit ko na... Tree of life po talaga ang coconut,” he
said.
Adrian Ramilo of Ayanas is
pushing coconut in a different direction entirely — coconut wine. “Hindi po
siya tuba — and masarap po siya,” he shared. More than the novelty, though,
it's the demand from trade fairs that's been keeping his community employed:
“Marami po kaming produkto na nabebenta sa trade fair kaya may mga trabaho na
sa amin.”
One crop, dozens of possibilities, and hundreds of
entrepreneurs still finding new ones.
2. A Gen Z School Project Becomes an Actual Business
Dehusk's origin story starts in
a classroom — a college feasibility study built around a very personal problem.
One of the founders is lactose intolerant, and around the same time, the group
noticed just how much surplus coconut the country actually produces. Their
answer was drinkable coconut milk as an actual milk alternative, rather than
the cooking-oriented coconut milk most people already know. The school project
eventually became a real, Gen Z-run business.
“We are very proud to have come
up with this product, being the only one in the market locally producing
drinkable milk from coconut — not for cooking. It's a great alternative to
other milk alternatives. Our company is also proudly run by Generation Z!” said
Chloe De Ocampo, Marketing Lead of Dehusk.
From feasibility study to trade fair floor, Dehusk
shows how a personal need, a local resource, and a fresh idea can become a
promising Filipino business.
3. What Looks Like Waste Turns Into Someone's Livelihood
Virna Morales of Venice Rose
Integrated Farms and Johnalyn Lamprea of Lampre's Integrated Farm looked at
surplus coconut shells and saw raw material instead of trash. The two partners
now turn those shells into handcrafted bags, alkansya, and other everyday
products.
“We believe nothing from the
coconut should go to waste. We transform surplus shells into handcrafted
products — creating new value from what could have been discarded. Today, this
innovation helps provide livelihood to more than 100 workers,” they shared.
Morales, a nurse by profession, came back to help run her
family's farming business. Their coconut-shell venture is only in its first
year, and with DTI Iloilo helping expand their market linkages, this first
showcase at SMX opens up another shot at reaching new buyers. Less waste, more
value, and more than 100 livelihoods to show for it.
4. The Right Opportunity Turns a Skill Into a Growing Business
Juvy Crusina of Crusina's
Handicrafts in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte started out learning her craft through
DTI's Kapatid Mentor ME Program. She eventually moved from being part of a
cooperative to running her own business as a sole proprietor in 2024 — and got
another push forward when she joined DTI's National Trade Fair at SM Megamall.
“I learned the craft through
DTI's Kapatid Mentor ME Program, and today I have my own business. Joining the
National Trade Fair at SM gave us so much exposure that orders became
overwhelming. Now at my first COCONUTPhilippines Trade Fair here at SMX, I'm
excited to be discovered by even more customers,” she said.
Her path traces a pretty clear arc: learn a skill, build a
business, find a bigger market. Learn, build, get discovered, grow.
5. Big Ideas Go Further When the Right Partners Open Doors
Behind these individual success
stories sits a bigger ambition: turning promising Filipino ideas into
sustainable businesses that create jobs and reach wider markets. DTI and DA-PCA
work on developing coconut farmers and enterprises, while SM and SMX provide
the highly visible marketplace where entrepreneurs actually get to show their
products to shoppers and buyers.
Where style meets purpose. SM Supermalls President
Steven Tan and DTI Secretary Cristina Roque celebrate Filipino creativity and
enterprise at the COCONUTPhilippines Trade Fair 2026 — championing the
coco-preneurs turning local ideas into Filipino brands.
As DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina
A. Roque put it during the opening, “Our challenge is turning good products
into lasting and sustainable businesses that can provide income for our country
and provide jobs for our people.” She also called for closer collaboration
between government and business: “Let us now continue to create more Filipino
products and more superstars through stronger coordination between private
sector and government as we continue to build better lives for our farmers and
for our communities.”
For Joaquin L. San Agustin, Executive Vice President for
Marketing of SM Supermalls, the partnership with DTI is ultimately about
getting good ideas to market. “Some of the most exciting Filipino brands begin
with a simple idea and an entrepreneur willing to pursue it. Through our
long-standing partnership with DTI, we help bring these ideas closer to the
market — giving MSMEs opportunities to be discovered, connect with customers,
and grow.”
A marketplace for Filipino ingenuity.
COCONUTPhilippines brings hundreds of coconut MSMEs under one roof, giving
homegrown businesses greater visibility and opportunities to connect with
shoppers, buyers, and new markets.
A school project turned into a
Gen Z business. Surplus shells turned into livelihoods. A mentored craft turned
into an enterprise. Around 300 coconut MSMEs are proving just how many
possibilities can grow from one of the country's most familiar resources.
The coco-preneurs are here, and their ideas are ready to be
discovered. Come meet the founders, try something you didn't expect, and
support Filipino businesses while you're at it — somewhere on that trade fair
floor could be the next great Filipino brand waiting for its big break.
The DTI-Bagong Pilipinas COCONUTPhilippines Trade Fair
2026 runs until August 30 at SMX Convention Center Manila, Pasay City. Free
admission.
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