- 3 min read
- SEP 23,2025
CEO Journey: What I Learned Spending a Season in the Philippines
When I decided to relocate to the Philippines, it was both a personal and strategic move. Personal, because the Philippines was already familiar. Since NaturLoop was founded in 2020, I had visited almost every year, building relationships, growing a local team, and slowly planting the seeds of something bigger. I had a sense of what I was stepping into.
Strategic, because timing mattered. We were preparing to launch our coconut husk processing center. Machines were arriving, and a new partnership was taking shape. At the same time, early conversations with potential local partners showed clear interest in establishing a pioneer Cocoboard factory in the Philippines. Being present offered the chance to deepen trust and be exposed to the real challenges on the ground.
So, I promised myself I’d stay for at least one season. Three months, maybe six if needed. After all, our next major milestone, industrial trials in Europe, would eventually pull me back. But first, the groundwork had to be laid.
Strategic, because timing mattered. We were preparing to launch our coconut husk processing center. Machines were arriving, and a new partnership was taking shape. At the same time, early conversations with potential local partners showed clear interest in establishing a pioneer Cocoboard factory in the Philippines. Being present offered the chance to deepen trust and be exposed to the real challenges on the ground.
So, I promised myself I’d stay for at least one season. Three months, maybe six if needed. After all, our next major milestone, industrial trials in Europe, would eventually pull me back. But first, the groundwork had to be laid.
Immersion Creates Clarity
You can’t fully understand a system from a distance. Living and working on the ground brought me closer to the roots of our project.
In Mindanao, I joined our team for a supply chain study visiting coconut farms, cooperatives, and husk processors. I saw piles of discarded coconut husks burned daily to clear the ground for the next morning’s harvest.
I had long understood that collecting these husks could support existing supply chains, create new income streams for farmers, and reduce emissions. But seeing the sheer volume of husks readily available, and how deeply embedded these burning practices were, gave me a renewed sense of urgency and purpose. In conversations with cooperatives, it also became clear how ready many of them are to explore new revenue streams from husks.
At the same time, I realized that solving this challenge requires more than one product. It requires long-term systems change. While Cocoboard is our first innovation, that experience affirmed that NaturLoop can play a meaningful role in transforming the coconut industry in ensuring its prosperous, inclusive, and enduring future.
Later, when I moved to the region where our husk center would launch, my routine changed completely. Gone was the big city rhythm. Each morning, I rode a tricycle through quiet streets to the plant, often reflecting on what still needed to be done. During this time, I was accompanied by our Head of Operations in the Philippines, Jerelle. This helped me see the Philippines through an authentic lens, learning about local culture and food. We shared many simple meals where tropical fruits often became the dessert. Tuning into the people and place slowed me down and allowed me lead with more patience and presence
In Mindanao, I joined our team for a supply chain study visiting coconut farms, cooperatives, and husk processors. I saw piles of discarded coconut husks burned daily to clear the ground for the next morning’s harvest.
I had long understood that collecting these husks could support existing supply chains, create new income streams for farmers, and reduce emissions. But seeing the sheer volume of husks readily available, and how deeply embedded these burning practices were, gave me a renewed sense of urgency and purpose. In conversations with cooperatives, it also became clear how ready many of them are to explore new revenue streams from husks.
At the same time, I realized that solving this challenge requires more than one product. It requires long-term systems change. While Cocoboard is our first innovation, that experience affirmed that NaturLoop can play a meaningful role in transforming the coconut industry in ensuring its prosperous, inclusive, and enduring future.
Later, when I moved to the region where our husk center would launch, my routine changed completely. Gone was the big city rhythm. Each morning, I rode a tricycle through quiet streets to the plant, often reflecting on what still needed to be done. During this time, I was accompanied by our Head of Operations in the Philippines, Jerelle. This helped me see the Philippines through an authentic lens, learning about local culture and food. We shared many simple meals where tropical fruits often became the dessert. Tuning into the people and place slowed me down and allowed me lead with more patience and presence
Proximity Builds Resilience
Like most things in hardware, nothing went exactly as planned. Our equipment shipment was delayed. Machine setup revealed new challenges. Raw material orders for our European trial were suddenly at risk. For several weeks, it was all hands on deck. Long shifts at the plant, daily troubleshooting, and building protocols from scratch.
That stretch lasted about a month, and it became one of the most focused periods of my life. Surrendering to the challenges, collaborating with local teammates to solve problems, and staying close to the work led to invaluable learning lessons. There was peace in showing up fully, and I was able to get into the zone, day after day.
At that time, I decided to extend my stay beyond the original three months because it felt important to see things through.
That stretch lasted about a month, and it became one of the most focused periods of my life. Surrendering to the challenges, collaborating with local teammates to solve problems, and staying close to the work led to invaluable learning lessons. There was peace in showing up fully, and I was able to get into the zone, day after day.
At that time, I decided to extend my stay beyond the original three months because it felt important to see things through.
Energy Comes from Alignment
One of the most energizing moments came during a call with a long-time advisor. He expressed intent to invest and take on a deeper role.
In the midst of a hard stretch, that moment hit differently. It brought new energy to the venture and reminded me that when the mission is clear, the right people show up.
That conversation helped clarify something I had been feeling. While I had loved being hands-on and operational these past months, what the company needed most was for me to step back, to reset the vision, unify the team, and create the conditions for everyone to thrive in their roles.
In the midst of a hard stretch, that moment hit differently. It brought new energy to the venture and reminded me that when the mission is clear, the right people show up.
That conversation helped clarify something I had been feeling. While I had loved being hands-on and operational these past months, what the company needed most was for me to step back, to reset the vision, unify the team, and create the conditions for everyone to thrive in their roles.
Final Reflection
Looking back, those four months reshaped me. They gave me clarity not just about Cocoboard, but about what kind of company we’re building. This journey reminded me that although the inception of Cocoboard’s innovation was in a laboratory, innovation becomes real on the ground, in the daily work, the unexpected challenges, and the hands that create purpose and carry the vision forward.
As we move ahead, the Philippines will remain at the heart of how we build a responsible business that lasts.
As we move ahead, the Philippines will remain at the heart of how we build a responsible business that lasts.
