Coconut Leaves as Food Packaging Is a Thing, and This Bicolana Shows How It’s Done

To say that Filipinos can get creative with coconut trees is an understatement. In Bicol, even the humble coconut leaves are turned into unique food packaging — and one homegrown business proves just how stylish and sustainable it can be.

Coconut fruit alone is excellent for cooking, coconut tree trunk for housing and construction, coconut root for medicines, and coconut leaves for — believe it or not — food presentation or packaging.

We’re not talking about the usual rice wrapping, dish plating, and even barbecue skewing common in most parts of the Philippines. As this thriving food and beverage business in Irosin, Sorsogon proves, one can also use these coconut leaves, or simply langkoy, for packaging homemade Filipino delicacies such as buko pie.

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Buko pie in a langkoy box

According to Titania’s Cater owner Claire Ayalin Ng via ABS-CBN News, she had planned on selling buko pie and wanted a gimmick of her own to help the product stand out. Given the abundance of coconut trees in her locale, Ng resorted to a langkoy box food packaging that is not only presentable, but more importantly, sustainable.

“Matagal na akong kino-convince ng mga friends ko na gumawa ng buko pie. Sabi ng papa ko ‘gumawa ka rin ng ganyan’ kasi andami nating niyog nasasayang lang,” she also told Bicol.PH in an interview. Ng took inspiration from the palaspas or woven palm leaves often used during Holy Week, and tried making containers from them on her own. Currently, a box of buko pie at Titania’s Cater costs ₱350.

Ng also uses eco-friendly packaging for her other delicacies. Among them are the Bicol-renowned nilupak or mashed cassava (also sweet potato) mixed with sugar and coconut milk, which she wraps with banana leaves. Along with the buko pie in the langkoy box, they make for great eco-friendly and affordable gifts for your loved ones all year round.

Also read: What’s It Like to Start a ‘Quarantine Business’ for Filipinos?

Filipino entrepreneurs continue to explore creative and eco-friendly food packaging ideas, from reusable bundles to plant-based wraps, showing that sustainability can be practical and stylish.

All images credited to Titania’s Cater.