MORINGA MEMO
✓ It is a tree from equatorial regions with extremely rapid growth
✓ It is packed with proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins, and iron
✓ It is also a natural source of antioxidants
✓ It is anti-inflammatory and helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Mae Sot and the Karen Refugees
While researching moringa cultivation in Thailand and Myanmar, we stumbled upon the Youtube channel of MORINGOOD. It’s not just a brand of fresh moringa powder and capsules, but a solidarity project born two years ago near Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmar border. Its founder Thibaud, a 30-year-old Swiss, tells us his story, unfiltered. In a Franglais made from 9 years of expatriation in Thailand 🙂
“Three years ago, I was an addict. I was here in Bangkok. I was taking drugs, drinking, smoking, and I was also addicted to sex. That’s it. At the time, I was making documentaries, and I was allowed to go to Mae Sot, at the border with Myanmar, to work on human rights.”
Mae Sot is one of the main gateways to Myanmar. It is also a place where many members of the Karen ethnic group seek refuge, persecuted by the Burmese army. The Karen have been in conflict with the Burmese military junta since 1948, and today they suffer expropriations.
Thibaud settled in Mae Sot and formed bonds with the Karens, especially teachers. They took him to church (the Karens are Buddhists and Christians).
“I started praying to Jesus. I sought to be useful, to understand how one can be fulfilled in life. To reach this level of satisfaction, which cannot be satiated with material things, I understood that I had to serve others.”
The Divine Vision: More in Good
He then dramatically changed his lifestyle and returned to Switzerland for a while.
“My brother had inflammatory problems in his shoulders, and after researching, he got moringa from a health food store and started taking it. After two weeks, it was gone, even though he had been dragging it along for years! But it didn’t make much of an impression on me at the time because I don’t have health problems.”
We then expect him to tell us how his brother finally convinced him of moringa’s exceptional properties. But the intermediary is more surprising…
“I was working on a feature film. At that time, I was praying to Jesus a lot. I was with the deco team on the set, painting a white wall, or sanding it, something a bit boring. And BAM I received the vision of Moringood. Everything was there. The name, the business model. It was extremely clear, I needed to return to Mae Sot, to the border, and start a project with the Karens. And we were going to start planting thousands of trees.”
A Charity Business Supported by the Diaspora
And guess what, that’s what happened! Thibaud returned to Mae Sot and shared his idea with his Karen friends. And 8 months later, in collaboration with local communities, 5,000 trees had been planted, on both sides of the border (separated at that point by a river, which can be easily crossed).
“The Karens, whether refugees in Thailand or those returning to the Burmese side after years of exile, live in extremely precarious conditions. They try to survive by planting corn and beans, and for this they go into debt, use fertilizers and pesticides for better yield, and the lands end up completely polluted and unable to produce.”
Moringood offers them an alternative: to cultivate a tree with extremely rapid growth and recognized nutritional properties. Moringa is doubly interesting for them: incorporated into the diet, it helps address certain deficiencies. And its cultivation quickly pays off.
Thibaud assures us that his moringa is 100% organic, free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which is no easy feat in regions where Monsanto reigns supreme.
Moringood is above all a charity business. That is, a company whose goal is both to make money and to have a positive social and environmental impact. Part of the profits from the sale of moringa powder is donated to local schools, project partners. Thibaud questions the sustainability of NGOs present in Mae Sot.
“If I could only do philanthropy, I would. It’s a beautiful thing. But if, like all the NGOs in Mae Sot, you rely solely on donations, one day, it can stop. And then what do you do? I like this adage: give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish, and he will eat forever.”
This is how the teachers of Moringood’s partner schools also involve their students in the project and teach them what moringa is, its health benefits, and how to harvest it.
There are about 5 million Karens worldwide. The diaspora is mainly found in Australia, Canada, and Sweden. The ethnicity shows great solidarity towards refugees.
“Our clientele is primarily Karens around the world! 80% of our customers are Karens. The rest are tourists who come to visit our shop in Mae Sot.”
The Benefits of Moringa for Humans and the Earth
Thibaud enthusiastically reminds us why moringa is good for us and for the earth. By the way, what does it look like and how do we cultivate this so-called “miracle” tree?
A Very Generous Tree
“So it’s a tree that grows in the equatorial belt, on all continents. And it grows very fast! It’s made up of 75% water. If you’re in the forest and you’re thirsty, break a branch and drink!”
Good to know.
“It’s a very generous tree. Everything is edible! It has long fruits, which we eat in soup, and from which we can harvest the seeds once dried. It produces a lot of seeds and leaves, ultra-loaded with nutrients. You can also eat the flowers, make tea with the leaves, oil, and toothpaste with the ashes of the small branches.”
Earth-Friendly Production and Quick Harvest
“We harvest these seeds, plant them before the rainy season, and four months later they grow, and we can already harvest the leaves! It still depends on whether there’s sunlight during the rainy season. Then when it’s the dry season, with the sun, it grows even more! We don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.”
“On the Indian and Chinese industrial moringa markets, not only are the leaves dried at high temperatures, so they have far fewer benefits, but also traces of heavy metals and pesticides are found!”
On their side, Thibaud and his Karen friends respect the earth, they don’t have massive production. Their trees are healthy, they have very little stock, ensuring great freshness of the product.
Washing and Drying the Leaves
Moringood has just moved into a new factory, more spacious than the previous one, where the leaves are prepared. First, they are soaked in clear water, then in salty water to kill microbes. They are rinsed again and dried on nets, in the shade, to preserve the chlorophyll from the sun.
They are dried using a low-temperature dehumidifier to retain all their benefits. Then they are compressed in a machine to obtain the powder. This is poured into small anti-humidity sachets that keep the moringa fresh for two years. Moringood also packs it in cellulose capsules.
Benefits for Your Whole Body
“Moringa will boost your energy, nourish your brain… It’s full of omega-3! And you feel much more positive. It balances your carbohydrates, your cholesterol levels. I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t take it, it’s the dietary supplement everyone needs.”
According to Thibaud, today, even if we have a varied diet, our vegetables are diminished in nutrients compared to 50 years ago. We are advised to compensate for these losses with dietary supplements or superfoods. It could be turmeric with pepper, maca, spirulina…
“For me, moringa is the most powerful because it really contains all the nutrients the body needs. And a huge amount of antioxidants. You can do six-month cures, then a break of two to three months. We recommend about 5g per day for healthy people. And more for those with diabetes or high blood pressure.”
And the Taste?
When we open the packet that Thibaud brought us directly from the plantation, it immediately reminds us of matcha! The powder smells good, it’s super fresh. In taste, it’s slightly bitter, reminiscent of green vegetables and nuts.
Our Swiss friend advises mixing it with a smoothie or fruit salad, or making an infusion in the morning: hot water, lemon, moringa, a great boost!
He also shares his favorite recipe: mix a tablespoon of moringa with three eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, and there you have a delicious moringa omelet!
And After?
Currently, Moringood manages to produce 40 Kg of powder per month. Orders are becoming more frequent.
The idea for the future is to develop the same type of project in other regions affected by poverty, where it is possible to grow Moringa. In this regard, the team is currently in talks with a Christian community in the Philippines and another in Laos.
“In my vision, Moringood was worldwide !”
To learn more about moringa and its benefits, check out our full report here!
Enthusiastic and passionate, Thibaud places the social and beneficial aspects at the core of his moringa cultivation. A last-minute setback prevented us from visiting the Moringood plantations in Mae Sot, but we hope to see this beautiful project soon structure and grow as it should 🙂
