The tropical climate and mineral-rich island soils of Indonesia produce the beautiful coconut flowers that become our Coconut Sugar. The sweet nectar is collected from the flowers, heated into a thick buttery paste, then gently dried and finely ground into small crystals by hand.
Process
We've found that the best coconuts grow in tropical climates where they can soak up the sun and rain. After growing in these sandy, yet nutrient-rich soils they begin to produce small blossoms that will develop into coconuts. These blossoms contain sap that we harvest for coconut palm sugar. Harvesting sap from coconut blossoms requires completely different equipment and expertise than coconuts. Before the coconut has grown, the tree is "tapped" and the fresh liquid is collected by hand from the blossom in small batches. Fresh sap is an opaque white color, tastes very sweet and is about 80% water. After harvesting, the sap must be cooked relatively fast to avoid fermentation. When enough sap has been collected it is quickly cooked to remove water, kill unwanted bacteria and concentrate flavor. To ensure quality, we cook the sap in small batches over moderate heat. As the sap heats, the water evaporates and the mixture thickens. The mixture is reduced until the moisture content is low, then gently dried and ground into small crystals.
Source
From domestic plot trees tended by a diverse network of small independent family farmers within the Central Java region, the center of coconut sugar production in Indonesia. The region's honored, historic farming tradition and its close proximity to the sea which creates a moist, tropical climate, combine to form ideal almost year-round conditions for continual harvesting of coconut blossom sap, the origin of coconut sugar.
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