This is a story about Pinalo.

.With a hard times after earthquake and Covid, that made Lombok economy decrease into a minimum, we found it as an opportunity to search for projects that would not just involve natural resources  but also help communities survive.

Hidden in East of Lombok we found farmers that were growing pineapples. We realized they were growing it just for fruit and no other usage. So we started to research how could we fully use this plant. And this is how Pinalo was born.

#scraping

Now came the harder part. Trying and trying to get fibers out of pina leaf. Enormous hours of exploring how to make a machine for pina leafs that would decrease precious time of scraping. And with a help of high school Ondak Jaya we developed a scraping machine that fastened the proccess from 20 min for one leaf, to 20 sec per leaf. So farmers start cutting leafs, scraping them, taking fibers out, washing and drying them and our fibers were ready for phase 2.

 #handweaving

For 1 kg of fibers we need 70 kg of leafs, but after fibers are dried they are ready to become a yarn and be weaved into fabric.

Luckily again, we are in Lombok, that held long tradition of hand weaving sarongs. So we went to villages in South Lombok in search for communities of woman that could weave from pina fiber. And this is where a story became fairytail. Talented ladies would sit for hours and hours and hand weave our pina fiber into a long fabric that with its shape and colors just made as realize that this is not a dream but reality that connects more then 50 people into making a story that could travel world wide.

    #pinalostarts

And here our story started to blossom. Picking colors, drawing patterns, changing designs, brainstorming what all we can make from this…Only sky is the limit.

With our fabric and products we started a story that reinvents economy of Lombok and brings organic, natural, vegan and sustainable material. Working closely with 10 communities and making sure they found a new way for income by being part of producing something natural and handmade. With high ethical values and huge love for enviroment our founder Aisyah Odist have proofed that whatever project she starts, she always includes people of Lombok, and this one is no exception.

Aisyah Odist

 

 

A woman of a milion talents, born and raised in Lombok with a strong mission to help planet Earth and this island toward more greener and eco friendlier future. Aisyah has been awarded for her job already many times, her project Lombok ECO craft and Bank Sampah NTB Mandiri make products from recycled plastic, she is  a project leader of bee farming in Lombok, she built already 3 ECO schools and is replanting mangroves at least 2-3 times a year around Lombok. But she is determine that project PINALO is where her heart stands as involves many people and gives them better life conditions for future. Pinalo- pineapple of Lombok.