What is now Sumatera Oil, was originally the brainchild of Çhanna Senaratne. Desiring to help poor communities in east Indonesia, Channa recognised the growing popularity of coconut oil and sought to use this increasing demand to empower people in poor villages where coconuts were easily grown.

The plan took a radical shift on December 26, 2004. At the time that the tsunami was devastating communities surrounding the Indian ocean, Channa was actually promoting his plan for ‘Aid through Trade’ and coconut oil to a church community in Australia. It was only natural for Channa to shift the operation to the Hinako Islands, off Nias in Sumatera Indonesia, a locale affected by the tsunami and also Channa and wife Ruby’s address for 6 years. Before the operation was able to relocate from the base of at that time Bali, Nias and these remote Islands were ravished by the second major disaster in 3 months: an 8.7 earthquake destroyed Gunning Sitoli, the capital of Nias, killing 600 people, levelling homes and severly restricting infrastructure and trade.

The area was now in even more desperate need, and so when the Senaratne family arrived in the area aboard the LEAP Vessel the Indo Jiwa there was much work to be done, abundant faith yet very little funding to get the project started. During the first week in the Islands Ken Atley, on a surf charter to the area spoke to Channa about what had happened in the area and asked to have a look at the plans for the projects Channa had envisaged.

To keep the story brief, the Ken Atley Foundation provided the funds to build the coconut factory, purchase and install the machinery and later the initial running costs. SwissContact also provided funds to help initiate this amazing project.

Later Holidays With Purpose www.holidayswithpurpose.com built a learning centre on the same land initially purchased with funds raised by FeelTheLove (now FTL Trading) at the time a Hong Kong Based Charity. The learning centre came to be known as the Coconut Kids Club.

Sumatera Oil - The Present

Midway through 2008 Sumatera Oil handed over their Hinako coconut oil factory to their fully trained local staff. Now four families who had survived the Tsunami and earthquake owned a fully functioning business and had the skills to sustain it. However, the ‘Aid Through Trade’ concept doesn’t end at that point. The new owners are committed to donating 20% of their profit to the learning centre to cover the wages of the locally trained educators and sustain the centre built by Holidays With Purpose. A second learning Centre was also opened late in 2008 on Asu Island and the increasing sales of coconut oil mean that expenses there are also covered by the Hinako factory.

The extent of the project doesn’t end there, Sumatera Oil is the direct market for this factory, subsequently distributing the oil around the world, in bulk and under their label: Sococo. Sumatera Oil donates 100% of its profits to LEAP who are an aid organization committed to empowering people in this remote region. www.leapin.org