The Board of Investments said it approved the P55.9-million investment project of Rizal VCO Phils. Corp. as a new export producer of virgin coconut oil. The project qualified under the export activities list of the 2017 Investment Priorities Plan.
The company is expected to produce up to 748,800 liters of VCO annually in its plant in Bocaue, Bulacan where operations started in August with 15 personnel. The project utilizes a process that will convert refined/bleached/deodorized coconut oil into VCO, a process which they claim is groundbreaking in the country.
The RBD coconut oil will be mixed with their proprietary mixture of herbal extracts composed of papaya, banana, carrot and calamansi that will serve as the catalyst to convert the RBD coconut oil to VCO. The production system is mostly “hands-free” from raw material reception up to loading of final output. To attain the finished VCO product, the firm uses a centrifuge separator machine and a filtering machine to deliberately remove “fatty” content that is formed after a day of mixture and fermentation.
“This innovative approach would sustain the growing popularity of coconut oil products in our export markets which will bring more jobs and additional income opportunities for our countrymen,” Trade Undersecretary and BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo said.