THE AVEDA BABASSU COMMUNITY PROJECT

In the eastern Amazonian region of Brazil, women gather after morning chores to collect nuts from lush new-growth babassu (bob-ah-sue) palms. They carry their harvests in woven baskets to shade trees, where they sit and break the hard shells with a stick over ax blades adjusted to their legs. The women are from Indigenous and local communities that have occupied the Maranhao region of Brazil for over four centuries. They are among 600,000 peasants who have developed a simple livelihood consisting of garden agriculture (corn, beans and small livestock) and the rudimentary processing of babassu nut oil for cooking and cleansing. They call themselves quebradeiras de coco—"coconut breakers".

Their world was not always this peaceful. Twenty years ago, along these coastal plains, vast sections of forest were burned and cleared for cattle ranching and the people were forced, often violently, from the land. Not prepared to see their palm forests destroyed, these women fiercely resisted. Refusing to leave their homes, they stood up to legions of clear-cutters, tractors and guns. Songs and chanting became a major weapon of resistance. The women would light candles over felled trees, pretending to do witchcraft—to keep the gunmen away.

As fertile land fell to logging interests, the community lost family farms. Many men were without work. The nut gathering of the women became a chief means of livelihood.

Soon the stories of these misfortunes were heard, however. Joining with environmental groups, the babassu nut breakers successfully lobbied local and federal officials to prohibit the clear-cutting of the palm forests, and to protect the right of forest inhabitants to gather, harvest and sell the nuts.

These local collectives—in this precious region—have been partners with Aveda for six years. Aveda has taken certified organic babassu as a starting point to create a cleansing ingredient—known as babassu betaine—that is richly foaming. This new cleansing ingredient offers luxurious results, and reflects Aveda's mission: to support sustainable and organic agriculture, protect the ecosystem, and partner with Indigenous and local communities to encourage their economic independence.

Our collaboration has exceeded expectations—on both sides. Aveda has financed the construction of a babassu processing facility, a soap-making facility, a paper press for processing babassu fibers and funded corresponding training in processing and management. We are able to buy babassu directly from the women's collectives. This means we don't have to go through conglomerate importers and middleman companies that could usurp Native interests. In turn, we know exactly where our certified organic babassu is coming from—knowledge that assures us that our high standards of integrity are met. Ingredient purity can be traced to source, to harvests that don't harm the land or the people—most especially in the ecologically sensitive Amazonian region.

Currently, with Aveda support, the quebradeiras de coco have begun a living pharmacy project to produce plant-based medicines, and one collective is becoming a certifying agency in organic agriculture. In this way, the Native Communities are not reliant on Aveda alone for financial wellness, as they pursue environmentally sustainable means of economic development.