POWER OF K100 SMALL INVESTMENT TURNS INTO KUMUL ORGANIC BRAND

CAPTION: Kumul Organics on sale now at CPL outlets.

BY RAYLEEN WANJIMAN

WHAT started with just K100 in 2018 in Wagol Settlement in Madang Province, has grown into one of Papua New Guinea’s promising small businesses Kumul Organic.

Kumul Organics founder Tina Manamb never imagined her small investment would one day see her coconut oil-infused skincare products on City Pharmacy shelves.

The journey began after Tina realised Papua New Guinea had an abundance of coconuts that could be turned into natural skincare products. After conducting her own research, she decided to produce coconut oil infused with natural ingredients.

She also began training members of her community to produce coconut oil, creating income opportunities while building her business.

Tina first sold her products at the Madang Town Market before securing her first retail customer Madang Butchery.

She later relocated to Port Moresby and temporarily paused the business to better understand the capital’s market and consumer preferences.

“Last year I moved to Port Moresby and put the business on hold because I needed to do market research and understand how to adapt my products to the Port Moresby lifestyle,” Tina said.

After months of research, she started Kumul Organics in March 2026, sourcing virgin coconut oil from farmers in Kerema, Gulf Province.

“The oil travels by boat for about two hours and then another six hours by road before reaching Port Moresby,” she said.

Once the oil arrives, it is infused with natural ingredients noni, turmeric, ginger and carrot before being packaged for sale.

Tina credits digital marketing and artificial intelligence (AI) for helping her reache her customers .

By creating social media content and advertisements promoting wholesale cartons of 24 bottles, she attracted the attention of other SMEs and eventually the CPL Group.

She described the partnership with CPL as a major opportunity saying they work closely with farmers, and they wanted to complete the entire supply chain which CPL has completed the supply chain of their small operation.

She added that because most of their sales were through Facebook, customers frequently asked where they could buy the products.

Now, Kumul Organics products are available on City Pharmacy shelves, making them more accessible to customers.

The partnership was officially launched on Friday at City Pharmacy’s Waigani Drive branch in Port Moresby under the CPL Group’s WE PNG BUY PNG program, which supports locally made products.

CPL Group Chief Executive Officer Ajay Patel said the company is committed to supporting local producers.

“We don’t import coconuts they are grown abundantly right here in Papua New Guinea. Our supply comes from local farmers and growers, and we take pride in fostering long-term partnerships with local SMEs that strengthen communities and create shared value,” he said.

The launch comes one week after World SME Day and highlights how determination, innovation and a K100 investment transformed a small idea into a nationally recognised PNG brand.