I can't even join the cooperative as a foreigner but, I'm building it anyways.

Four years ago, we sold everything. Our home, our successful business, but garaged the Porsche lol, to move to the Philippines and start a social enterprise. But the deeper we go, the more we realize that the "old systems" of agriculture are broken. Farmers are supposed to own the cooperative, but they rarely see the benefits. In this episode of Polin’s Pursuit, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the Heritage Crop Cooperative (HCC) in Bohol. From the frustration of four-hour government training sessions to the raw, emotional reality of supporting our first hires through personal tragedy, this is the unvarnished truth of being an "outsider" trying to build a new model in a broken system. What We’re Building: We are working to preserve 100-year-old trees and educate local communities on the value of Elemi resin and Virgin Coconut Oil. Our goal is to stop deforestation by proving that these trees are worth more standing than they are as charcoal. The 1,000 Box Goal: We need your help to make this sustainable. If we reach 100,000 subscribers we will build a soap manufacturer to keep the profits where the trees are rooted and in the hands who nourish the natural goods that benefit those all around the world. In this video: The "High-Functioning Dysfunction" of entrepreneurship. How we're turning ancient resin into luxury Coco Castile soap. The reality of managing a local team and navigating cultural differences. Our plan to propagate 250 new seedlings with the Department of Agriculture. JOIN THE PURSUIT: If you believe that business can be a force for good and that it shouldn't just extract, but its inputs sustain the people, the planet and creates prosperity please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE and come along this journey. Get a box of the most luxurious naturally made goods and sustain an ethical supply chain: www.islaedennaturals.com 0:00 – Intro: Series overview 0:13 – Moving to the Philippines & Mission 0:30 – Cooperative meetings & Challenges 1:27 – Cooperative setup & Structure 2:27 – Social enterprise struggles & Culture gap 4:06 – Team realities 4:58 – Business model & funding plan 5:29 – Elemi oil project & Opportunity 7:08 – Product development & Manufacturing vision 7:36 – Burnout & Emotional reflection 8:18 – Personal story & resilience mindset 10:47 – Reflection on past struggles 12:31 – Outro: Call to action & Future goals #PolinsPursuit #SocialEnterprise #Bohol #Agriculture #SustainableFarming #Philippines #HeritageCrop #EntrepreneurLife #Cooperative