In a remarkable story of serendipity, an unusual product made its way into the home of an advertising executive about 10 years ago. A relative from Honduras had come to visit Denis Simioni and his wife, leaving behind a baby food jar filled with an unusual brown paste. Why did she leave it? What did she say it would do? It sat on the shelf for two years.
After coming out of the swimming pool one day, Denis' wife noticed her hair was very dry, brittle and unruly. She searched the bathroom cupboards for something to calm the frizz, and found her grandmother's jar. She decided to give it a try. Simioni recalls that the results were amazing. “I couldn't stop playing with her hair,” he says. “It was softer and shinier than I'd ever seen it.” He immediately set out to learn all he could about ojon oil.
The ojon oil that sat in the Simioni’s bathroom cupboards for two years was purchased from an Indian who travels from the depths of the Honduran mountains once a month to sell the oil on a street corner. It was the only source of the oil. The ojon tree is unique to the rain forest of the Moskitia region of Central America. Although the Miskito Indians (called “Tawira” in their native language) had been using ojon palm nut oil for centuries to clean, condition and protect their hair, it had never been exported beyond the region.
Before long, Denis was on a plane to Honduras to find out more about ojon oil from the people who knew it best. Remarkably, he set out to find the Miskito tribe not really knowing where to begin. A five-hour ride in a run-down single-propeller plane landed Denis on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He hiked for two-hours before finding someone who could guide him further, chancing upon members of the Mopawi, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping the Indians of the Moskitia.
Now with more specific directions, Denis and his crew embarked on a five-hour small boat ride into the rain forest. Denis still recalls the experience with awe. “The boat ride was incredible – something out of National Geographic or an Indiana Jones movie. The Indian tribes live just as they did 500 years ago. The land was so pure and unspoiled.”
As the boat began to slow, Denis knew they had arrived at the Moskitia. “They all had remarkably healthy, shiny hair,” he remarks, “…and no one was wearing a hat.” Other tribes they had encountered along the way wore hats to protect them from the blazing sun.
Speaking with the Miskito people, Denis learned that they wear Ojon in their hair all day long, and also use it as a body moisturizer – from the day they are born. The Miskito were pleased to impart all they knew about this rare natural treasure. They demonstrated each step in the lengthy and time-consuming process of harvesting the nuts and extracting the oil, which is all done by hand. In one year, a single Ojon tree produces approximately 8,000 nuts, enough to supply just three cups of pure Ojon palm nut oil.
Denis spent the next three years developing and testing Ojon formulations while a relationship with the people of the Miskito tribe grew. In cooperation with the Mopawi, he developed a corporate partnership involving 895 Miskito families. Ojon Corporation obtained exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Ojon oil, and a portion of the profits from the sale of Ojon goes directly to the Miskito Indian tribes to help preserve their traditional lifestyle and the region's rain forests.
Some of the ways Ojon Corp. helps to support the Miskito Indian tribes is through holding annual meetings in the rainforest with all of the producers. We go from one village to the next, listening to any concerns and providing an update on the progress of Ojon in the marketplace. Naturally, Mopawi and the Tawira want to secure sustainable long-term benefits from Ojon production and commercialization. Forest management is essential. A first study has been completed to understand the current status of the palm trees in the rainforest and the management requirement going forward. Ojon® Corporation has committed to providing a percentage of earnings to the Tawira for forest management purposes.
An Ojon Scholarship Fund was started in 2005 to benefit disadvantaged school children in the Ojon production area of Rio Kruta and the vicinity. This Fund encourages youth to further their studies and develop leadership skills. In the first phase of the project, the Fund helped them to access secondary level education; in future, a higher education. A local Community Committee administers the Fund, granting scholarships to the most outstanding students based on school records and guided by a scholarship regulation system.
Traditional methods of extracting the oil from the ojon nuts required large quantities of firewood, which was taken from the rainforest. In order to preserve this resource, Ojon has begun supplying the Tawira with high efficiency clay ovens. Ojon also supply motor boats to help with the transportation of the raw ingredient from village to village. In fact, Ojon Corp. and Mopawi have taken full responsibility for transporting the Ojon oil. Previously, producers had to carry small quantities of ojon from their villages to sell in Puerto Lempira, a journey of 1 to 3 days paddling each way.
The company also limits the annual harvest in order to protect the natural resource, and to ensure that authentic Ojon continues to be harvested and extracted by hand in the traditional way as a guarantee of purity and effectiveness. The Miskito tribes are consulted on all aspects of the business – from product development to marketing.
Ojon products are available at Sephora, Fred Segal, Nordstrom, Pure Beauty and fine salons and spas. For more information, consumers may call 1-877-929-9959 or log on to www.ojonhaircare.com.
Posted by Shannon Nelson on September 25, 2007 6:20 AM
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