Uncle Pichit
It all started around a decade ago: Uncle Pichit was encouraged to grow Sacha Inchi by an investing company that suddenly backed out at the time of harvest. He faced grim prospects: Sacha Inchi was not well-known throughout Thailand at the time. He had no buyer, he had no market, but he persevered anyway. After doing deeper research into Sacha Inchi seeds and planting he looked into the oil extraction method as well as running purity tests in the lab. He found out that Sacha Inchi oil is 88% composed of essential fatty acids Omega 3, 6, and 9 — more than fish oil!
“The best part about Sacha Inchi is all parts of it can be used and processed to make a variety of products. From tea, to oils, to capsules,” Uncle Pichit explains.
His farm, located in Nong Bua Lamphu in northeastern Thailand, is 3 rai in size (1.18 acres) with a factory for production as well. Uncle Pichit has 50-100 rai (19.7-39.5 acres) of agricultural extension in the northwestern provinces of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son. He ensures the quality of the soil and crops are kept up to high standards by using natural pesticides and a sustainable cycle of reusing seedlings.
Upon being asked about the natural pesticides, he chuckles and informs us about the pests that live among his crops:
“Our current problems are harmful worms including moth caterpillars, but we take care of them in a 100% natural and safe manner. With a nice spritz of vinegar and trim with a mower, worms away!” He explains while gesturing his hands to demonstrate.
“We also put the Sacha Inchi scraps as a fertiliser as well. Nothing goes to waste. We call this ‘natural planting’ since the only difference between being ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ is a whole load of chaotic paperwork to certify it,” he finishes with a laugh.
“We need to do this because a good Sacha Inchi is a pretty Sacha Inchi. The best produce comes from seeing the shape and texture first. The production method is by pressing the seedling through a hydraulic extraction method, although this method produces less oil per seed, it’s the best method for maintaining the quality and beneficial vitamins. The colour of the oil stays original.”
With this method, Uncle Pichit was able to make a living out of what was originally a bad situation. He pays it forward by helping others as well with this newfound knowl “I believe in the benefits of the oil as I use it myself as well. We believe in what we do and I am delighted to help those who are sick of suffering. Many customers who cannot afford to buy, we tend to send them the product for free. There was once a time this customer who was suffering from Psoriasis almost chose to end their life due to the suffering, we sent the gel capsules for intake, the oil for application. His skin improved and so did his well-being, he can now walk and go outside” The power of nature is a beautiful thing and we are grateful our farmers are on the same page and journey with Sudtana Family in helping and empowering people to be their best natural selves.
Uncle Pichit’s high-quality sacha inchi is featured in our:
