Repost: Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Co-op

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/8/03 3:01:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

chrisziggy writes:

 

> Hi folks,

>

> The official start date of this co-op is tomorrow, but I'll gladly start

> taking orders today

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Tropical Traditions Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Co-op

>

> This fabulous certified organic oil is a must for summer cooking and

> summer toiletries (or just to slather on one's body as is)! It is THE

> way to get a natural coconut scent into your lotions, butters, etc ...

> and it is less greasy than regular 76 degree coconut oil, or even

> fractionated coconut oil. Also, it has an incredibly long shelf life,

> especially when refrigerated (but it doesn't have to be refrigerated to

> last well over 2 years!).

>

> I've decided to make the minimum order very low - that way even folks

> who only want a little VCO to try out will be able to get it at more

> than half off the going suggested retail price!

>

> 1 Lb Package - $ 8.00 (Reg TT Price $18.00 - Reg SRP - $19.95+)

> 5 Lb Package - $37.50 (Reg TT Price $52.50 - Reg SRP - $75.00 )

> 10 Lb Package - $65.00 (Reg TT Price $83.10 - Reg SRP - $118.75)

>

> There are no co-op fees. All orders will be shipped via Fed Ex Ground

> unless otherwise requested (or a less expensive shipping method is

> available). Participants with their own shipping accounts are welcome to

> provide their shipping account information and have the order shipped

> via their preferred method and via their own account.

>

> Accepted Payments: Check, Money Order, Visa, MasterCard, ProPay and

> PayPal

>

> Start Date of Co-op: May 9

> End Date of Co-op: May 25

> Payments Due By : June 1

> Shipping Date : ASAP

>

> If you are interested, please e-mail me: chrisziggy or

> alittleolfactory

>

> This co-op will be posted on the web site

> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

> Shipping charges for orders placed on web site will be manually adjusted

> as necessary.

>

> *Smile*

> Chris

> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Characteristics of Our Virgin Coconut Oil

> by Tropical Traditions

>

> This Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut oil is a truly unrefined

> coconut oil. This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw from organic

> coconuts. Coconuts are used fresh (within 24 hours of harvest) from

> small family farms on Mt. Banahaw in Quezon Province, the coconut

> capital of the Philippines. The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these

> organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the

> world! Testing done in independent laboratories reveals a 50% - 53%

> content of lauric acid. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled),

> and then cold-pressed to make coconut milk. The milk is then fermented

> for 24-36 hours, and the oil is then separated and filtered from the

> curds. No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains

> no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by

> families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods

> that have been used here for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and

> family producers are certified organic according to strict European and

> USDA standards. This high-grade virgin coconut oil has a long shelf life

> due to coconut oil's natural anti-oxidant properties. It has the longest

> shelf life of any plant oil!

>

> What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

> by Tropical Traditions

>

> Virgin Coconut Oil can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat or

> what is called non-copra (see below for a definition of copra).

> Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining. There are

> currently two main processes of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:

>

> 1. Quick drying of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out

> the oil. Using this method, minimal heat is used to quick dry the

> coconut meat, and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means.

>

> 2. Wet-milling. With this method the oil is extracted from fresh coconut

> meat without drying first. " Coconut milk " is expressed first by

> pressing. The oil is then further separated from the water. Methods

> which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling,

> fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge.

>

> The method we use at Mt. Banahaw Health Products Corp. in the

> Philippines is fermentation. The coconut milk expressed from the freshly

> harvested coconuts is fermented for 24-36 hours. During this time, the

> water separates from the oil. The oil is then slightly heated for a

> short time to remove moisture, and filtered. The result is a clear

> coconut oil that retains the distinct scent and taste of coconuts. This

> is a traditional method of coconut oil extraction that has been used in

> the Philippines for hundreds of years. Laboratory tests show that this

> is a very high quality coconut oil, with the lauric acid content being

> 50 to 53%. This oil is not mass produced, but made by hand just as it

> has been done for hundreds of years. Since we live in the community

> where the coconuts grow, we personally guarantee that the best organic

> coconuts available are used in producing this Virgin Coconut Oil, and

> that no chemicals whatsoever are used in the growing or processing of

> the coconuts. Our coconuts are also certified organic according to

> strict USDA standards.

>

> How is Virgin Coconut Oil different from other coconut oils?

>

> Most commercial grade coconut oils are made from copra. Copra is

> basically the dried kernel (meat) of the coconut. It can be made by:

> smoke drying, sun drying, or kiln drying , or derivatives or a

> combination of these three. If standard copra is used as a starting

> material, the unrefined coconut oil extracted from copra is not suitable

> for consumption and must be purified, that is refined. This is because

> the way most copra is dried is very unsanitary. Most of the copra is

> dried under the sun in the open air, where it is exposed to insects and

> molds. The standard end product made from copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD

> stands for refined, bleached, and deodorized. Both high heat and

> chemicals (e.g. solvent extractions) are used in this method.

>

> RBD oil is also often hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.

> Hydrogenated oils have been shown to increase serum cholesterol levels

> which contribute to heart disease.

>

> One of the main differences between Virgin Coconut oil and refined

> coconut oils is the scent and taste. All Virgin Coconut Oils retain the

> fresh scent and taste of coconuts, whereas the copra-based refined

> coconut oils have no taste at all due to the refining process. Some

> grades of refined copra-based oils are also now sold that have a coconut

> flavor, but are usually bitter and have a burnt taste to it.

>

> What is " Extra Virgin Coconut Oil? "

>

> Some retailers and manufacturers of Virgin Coconut Oils, referring to

> one of the processes mentioned above, call their coconut oil " Extra

> Virgin Coconut Oil. " But there are no other processes used to make

> coconut oil other than the ones mentioned above, so this classification

> is simply arbitrary. There is no official classification or difference

> between " virgin " and " extra virgin " as there is in the olive oil

> industry.

>

> Why do some say that coconut oil causes high cholesterol levels?

>

> While this claim has been widely disproved in many scientific studies

> and journals, unfortunately this perception is still around. The

> tropical oils were very popular in the US food industry prior to World

> War II. With the war and the shortages of imported tropical oils, an

> effort was made to promote local oils, like soybean and corn oil. The US

> is the largest exporter of soybeans. Studies were done to show that

> coconut oil, and all saturated fats, were bad for one's health because

> they raised serum cholesterol levels. However, these studies were done

> on hydrogenated coconut oil, and all hydrogenated oils produce higher

> serum cholesterol levels, whether they are saturated or not. Recent

> research shows that it is the presence of trans fatty acids that causes

> health problems, as they are fatty acid chains that have been altered

> from their original form in nature by the oil refining process.

>

> In addition, numerous studies now show that the high lauric acid content

> of coconut oil is very beneficial in attacking viruses, bacteria, and

> other pathogens, and that it builds the body's immune system just as

> human mother's milk does, which also contains lauric acid. Promising

> studies have been done on patients suffering from immune deficiency

> diseases, such as AIDS. With polyunsaturated seed oils now largely

> replacing coconut oil in the American diet, there is a huge deficiency

> of lauric acid in the American diet that was present prior to World War

> II. The need for quality coconut oil, like Virgin Coconut Oil, is

> greater than ever!

>