Coconut Bowls
Made by nature, crafted by hand.
While in Bali in 2015, I asked myself this exact question upon stumbling across coconut shell handicrafts at a local market. I discovered that local craftspeople were carving and painting coconut shells, and selling them to tourists as souvenirs. I questioned whether these beautiful shells could be used to eat food from, and wondered where I could source them. The thought of what happened to coconut shells after the flesh has been taken out had never entered my mind until then. Through research, I discovered that billions of these shells were going to waste every year. As a bi-product of the thriving coconut industry, coconut shells have traditionally been burned or discarded as landfill. I thought it was interesting that these shells – shaped almost perfectly to be used as a bowl – were considered waste. Every coconut bowl is unique, with its own shape, size, marking and imperfections. They’re one in a billion, just like you.