Growing for good

Founded in 2010, Harmless Harvest is a pioneering manufacturer of organic coconut water and yogurt, which prioritizes sustainability and ethical business practices.

Well-known for its distinct pink-tinted coconut beverages, Harmless Harvest was the first coconut water brand to achieve a Fair for Life certification and is a certified B Corporation, making it a force for good in the industry.

Today, sales are more than US$100 million but the journey has not all been smooth sailing, says Managing Director Simon Denye.

“Our founders discovered that coconut farmers around the world typically threw away coconut water as they just wanted the meat, so they thought, let’s take that environmental problem and convert it into a healthy, beneficial solution for people,” Denye says.

“But like any startup, it was challenging at the beginning. The company lost a lot of money over its first 10 years, but as of five years ago, we started to show profit.

“Now we feel like we’ve emerged as a fully functioning, well-established corporation that’s on the world stage. We’ve stayed true to our roots, we’re helping people, and we’ve established a wonderful brand identity based on the principle that we’re good for people and good for the planet.”

Aided by a deluge of glowing product reviews from publications in the United States, Harmless Harvest is currently experiencing annual sales growth of 10–20 percent and expects to double its total sales over the next five years.

Doubling down on sustainability

While Harmless Harvest was founded on the principles of being organic and sustainable, this is an ongoing journey for the company as it explores a wide variety of new production and manufacturing techniques to reduce its environmental footprint.

One of the biggest initiatives in this area is regenerative farming, an agricultural approach that focuses on restoring soil health, enhancing biodiversity and capturing carbon to combat climate change.

The company has embraced this practice by working with Thai farmers across its portfolio of roughly 700 farms to introduce the use of cover crops, intercropping, vermicomposting and the introduction of stingless bees to increase pollination and coconut yield.

“Regenerative farming has a very different carbon footprint to conventional farming,” Denye explains. “When you use conventional fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, you get a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, whereas with regenerative farming, it’s quite the reverse.

“We’ve found ways to get good yields by farming in tune with nature. I think one day we’ll get better yields than conventional methods, because if you work with nature instead of against it, there’s going to be benefits.”

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“Harmless Harvest (Thailand) engages in agricultural product processing, experiencing growth and expanding production, which improves the livelihoods and incomes of Thai people. Our company feels honored and proud to be part of this endeavor.” – Somsak Pinpoo, Managing Director, Toptenth Foodline

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Other efforts include generating solar energy, reducing water consumption and producing biochar, a fertilizer created from leftover coconut husks. When mixed with soil or compost, biochar provides a host of benefits for soil quality and agriculture.

These efforts have earned the company Regenerative Organic Certified label at the bronze level, reflecting its commitment to sustainable farming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Sustainability is worth doubling down on as it will pay dividends in the long run on the demand side and maybe even on the supply side,” Denye says.

“For instance, once we ramp up our production, I anticipate we’ll be able to sell some surplus above what is needed by our farms. The production process also creates fuel gas as a by-product, which we can use to offset the need for LPG [liquefied petroleum gas], showing that it’s possible to make sustainability pay for itself, as well as being good for the planet.”

Doing business better

One of Harmless Harvest’s company values is to protect the vulnerable, which in the context of its business, refers to the poor farming communities the company relies on to grow its coconuts. In many cases these farmers live a hand-to-mouth existence, a situation that Harmless Harvest is committed to improving.

“Thai farmers are making a lot more money from their operations since we came into the market, which is good for the economy, good for the country and good for farmers,” he says.

“As a result, we get a lot of kudos from Thailand’s Department of Agriculture, which is working with us to promote regenerative farming.”

Beyond Harmless Harvest’s direct business operations, the company has established a mobile medical unit that visits communities and provides tests and treatment for a wide range of health issues communities would otherwise not have access to.

Another initiative has been the introduction of reverse osmosis filters in schools to provide clean drinking water for children. It also sends maintenance technicians to visit the schools regularly to ensure the filters are still working.

All of Harmless Harvest’s community programs are supported by the company’s Fair for Life Fund, to which the company contributes US$0.003 per coconut purchased from Thai farmers. As it purchases roughly 100 million coconuts per year, this equates to US$295,000 invested in the fund each year.

“This helps build loyalty with farmers and shows them that we’re not a simple capitalist company that’s trying to take as much value as possible,” he says. “Instead, we are genuinely working together to be good for the environment and good for people.”

Through these programs and others, its certifications, brand image and exceptional products, Harmless Harvest is proving that despite initial challenges, it’s possible to do business and do good, a formula that has positioned the company for rapid growth over the coming years.

“We are committed to making the impossible possible, which means we like a challenge,” he says. “If you tell us it can’t be done, that’s when we get started. Perhaps it’s a little bit stubborn, but if somebody tells me it can’t be done, boy, that’s when I want to prove them wrong.”