How we built our new website ourselves
In 2013 we rebuilt cocoguru.com ourselves on WordPress, with a free theme, a few plugins, and words and photos of our own. How we did it, and why a small business can too.
Cocoguru Blog
Why “What’s the salary?” is the wrong first question
What we look for when we hire — and the habits that cost good candidates a job with a growing rural company.
Difference between roasted and cold pressed coconut oil
Roasted and cold pressed coconut oil come from the same dried coconut, but they are made differently, and they look, smell and taste different. Here is how each is made, and why both are pure coconut oil.
Our 2011 letter asking for fair tax on coconut oil
In 2011, Karnataka taxed coconut oil at 5%, or at 13.5% in packs of 200 grams or less, as if it were a cosmetic. We wrote to ask for a fair, uniform rate. Here is the letter, and what has happened since.
Beware of vanaspati, margarine, partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats
Vanaspati and other partially hydrogenated fats contain trans fats, the most harmful fats in our diet. Here is what they are, why they are made, and how to avoid them.
Inside our packing section in 2010
Photos of our packing section in 2010: the pouch packing machines, the bottle and tin fillers, and the air compressor.
How we worked out the cheapest carton box
A little calculus saves cardboard. For a regular slotted carton, the least board for a given volume comes when the length and height are equal and the breadth is half of them. For our 20-pouch carton, that saves about 4% of the board.
Cocoguru Coconut Industries Private Limited is incorporated
On World Coconut Day, 2 September 2010, Cocoguru Coconut Industries Private Limited was incorporated to take the work of Sri Rama Industries to the next level. Here is why we formed a company, and what we planned to do next.
Book review: The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife
A 2010 review of Bruce Fife’s book on coconut oil: what it argues, and why it delighted and angered me.
Why small packs of coconut oil cost more: the 200 gram rule
In 2010, coconut oil in packs of 200 grams or less was taxed as hair oil. A 100 ml pouch carried about 23% tax against 4% on a litre pack, and the people hit hardest were those who could least afford it.