The Significance of a Roadside Coconut Water Stand to an Organic Vanilla farm

If you are a Nevis resident or frequent visitor to the island, you will no doubt be familiar with a very welcome roadside stand,  opposite the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park at the top of Pinney’s Beach.  It is a very popular place, and you may have to park some way off to order what is on offer.  But this is no ordinary coconut water stand; it represents an essential element of the organic approach we have adopted at Vanilla Paradise Nevis to cultivate our precious vanilla.  For us, it’s not only what is being sold on the spot that is interesting: it’s a whole package and it’s one of the most important parts of growing our vanilla.

More than just jelly water!

The product is coconut water or locally known as “jelly water”, and the owner of the business is Alex.  Coconut water is extremely popular on Nevis, and throughout the Caribbean, as a refreshing drink with lots of healthy benefits.  It provides excellent hydration through electrolytes; it is not calorific and is packed with nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals.  Nevisians stop by every day to either drink a glass or take some home, so Alex is kept busy chopping his coconuts with his very sharp and efficient machete that he wields expertly. Watch Alex at work in the video.

Why an Organic Vanilla Farming and coconut husk go hand in hand

Vanilla orchids grow in mulch, not soil, and they love the fiber from the coconut husks. They have very fragile white terrestrial roots with delicate white hair roots that twist happily in and out of the coconut husk fiber, or coir. We use three layers of coconut husks so there is plenty of room for the roots to grow.  Coconut husks are also ideal weed inhibitors. They totally obscure light and this inhibits photosynthesis for the weeds as Alex delivers the coconuts to the farm where they are cut in half (machetes are very useful tools on our farm!) and dried in the sun before they are used.  Some manual weeding still has to be done; weeds have not survived this long for nothing!

From Waste to Income: The Sustainability Aspect

By using these coconut husks, we are promoting sustainability on Vanilla Paradise Nevis. Alex would, in normal circumstances, dispose of the husks once the water has been extracted at the Municipal dump where they are burnt.  It is a “win-win-win” because Alex  has  an additional source of income we have a raw material that is vital to our vanilla farm and discarded husks are no longer being burnt.

Sourcing Coconuts in Nevis and Beyond

Alex finds the wild coconuts (Cocos nucifera to give it its botanical name), from the forest in Nevis, as he explains in the video, using ladders, going from tree to tree, no mean feat as coconut trees can grow up to 30 metres high!  He also sources some from locals who have trees growing in their gardens, as well as importing some coconuts from St. Vincent and Dominica.  Luckily for Alex, and for us, they can flower up to 13 times a year, producing a harvest of as many as 65-75 fruits per year.  Coconuts have been important sources of food and income in the Caribbean, as they provide the basis of many local dishes as well as materials for building using its fibres.  We can now add vanilla mulch and weed inhibitor to the list!

We need 19,000 (yes, nineteen thousand) coconut husks for each shade house. There are three shade houses at present and we plan more.  This means that Alex and his business together with the innovative use of the humble coconut husk, is helping Vanilla Paradise Nevis to support our pledge of maintaining organic growth, sustainability and ecological responsibility.  We hope that our sustainable farming practices can have a positive impact on the environment the community and our farm.