In 1998, Wilson Chiu, the founder of the company, flew to Ecuador to explore deep into the tropical rainforest in search for the natural "tagua" palm fruit for his newly found business. His plan was to source a new type of raw material to produce eco-friendly buttons and accessories, to replace harmful non-biodegradable plastic materials used vastly within the garment industry. As he stood next to the 15 meter tall Tagua palm tree, the spectacular sight made that moment unforgettable.
Wilson had familiarity with Tagua nut as a material as he was an artisan carver during his younger days. He had owned and operated an ivory carving factory in Hong Kong, where his business had been thriving. Unfortunately, in 1987, Hong Kong banned the exports of ivory carving handcrafts and the import of African ivory raw material. This export regulation abruptly stopped Wilson's business, and so he had no choice but to look for an alternative career path. Incidentally, he had stumbled upon a magazine article about the unique palm fruit in South America that grew "tagua" nuts. He learned that the material’s color and hardness was very close to ivory, garnering its nickname as “vegetable ivory”.
With this new insight on a new resource being quite similar to a material he had worked with in his previous business, Wilson's business passion once again ignited, and he immediately started looking for Ecuadorian suppliers.
Initially, he imported a container of raw materials and used them in a Hong Kong factory to carve small animals and figures, and exported them to the United States and Europe. Later, a factory was set up in China to produce all kinds of small carving crafts.
Around 1997, the world gradually began to pursue the eco-friendly trend and readily sourced and used biodegradable raw materials. He learned from a magazine that in the garment industry, tens of thousands of tons of plastic materials are consumed every year in China alone for accessories such as buttons, handbag buckles, and belt buckles. In light of this, he believes that the garment industry has a large market that can be transformed. Designers and consumers were beginning to realize the importance of environmental protection, and understand the harm of plastic to the earth and marine life.
So in order to contribute to this cause, he decided to devote himself to using TAGUA NUT as a material to produce environmentally friendly buttons and various fashion accessories to replace plastic. He hoped to promote the benefits of Corozo buttons to China and around the world, hoping that fashion designers and company decision-makers can use more of this sustainable product. Allowing everyone to contribute and make their own impact toward a greener future.
Immersed in the forest, his journey continues, he was told by his local guide that the palms are a majestic and romantic species. Often you will see male palms carrying long flowering buds surrounding female palms that bear the large spiky fruits called the “Moccocha”. Almost as if the male palms are courting and dancing around the female palms. He learns that Tagua palms only grow wild and may take up to 15 years to bear fruit. Each tree bearings up to ten fruits at a time. They will continue to harvest three times per year thereafter.
Wilson was immediately fascinated and learned that the Tagua fruit contain pockets of milky gelatin that develops into hard nuts when fully matured. One large fruit contains up to 100 pieces of nuts! When the fruit is young, local dwellers would eat them as nourishment. When the Tagua fruit matures, it naturally falls off the tree onto the ground, where wild forest animals may feed on the outer shell. The entirely of the nut is fully utilised.
Wilson was later greeted by forest dwellers that started collecting Tagua nuts from the ground using donkeys to bring back to their communities for trade. The guide explains that palm trees are not harmed in the harvesting process, thus allowing them to continue to bear fruit and nourishing the biodiversity that surrounds it.
Local producers would take the Tagua nuts for further processing. They are sun dried, skinned, sliced, carved into circular blank discs and finally graded before exported to button manufacturers worldwide.
Our founder saw this opportunity and brought this material back to Asia to trade the raw material and also to use Tagua blank disc to produce into finished Corozo buttons.
Tagua blank disc are finally machined carved into button shape, wet drum polishing, dyed in dye baths, air dried, dry polished and QC before it lands into customer hands onto garments.
