OUR MISSION and impact

Forestwise's mission is to #StopDeforestation and create #RainforestValue. We do this by developing markets for valuable rainforest products, which creates an economic incentive that empowers local communities to keep protecting the remaining rainforest. By maintaining the rainforest, we also help to conserve wildlife, safeguard fresh water supplies and prevent floods and droughts.

So far, Forestwise has forest protection agreements in place with 6 villages in West Kalimantan, for a combined forest area of 36.000 hectares. We have increased the average annual income by 16% for over 1,000 raw material collectors. We aim is to keep adding villages to this list, increasing the area of forest protected to 500.000 hectares and reaching 10,000 beneficiaries by the year 2030. With your support, we can engage with many more communities and reach these goals.

Our products have certifications such as Fair for Life (by Ecocert), Organic (by Ecocert and SKAL), COSMOS (by Ecocert) and Halal (by MUI).
Forestwise is also a proud member of the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) since 2020.

ABOUT US

Forestwise was founded in 2018 in the Netherlands. We have our own production facility (PT Forestwise Wild Keepers) which is located in Sintang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. PT Forestwise Wild Keepers is a full subsidiary company to Forestwise Netherlands.

Theo Smits and Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn met in 2013, when they were both working for an Indonesian non-governmental organisation. Theo moved to Indonesia in 2007, looking for ways to share his 30-years of experience and extensive production technology knowledge with people in less developed areas.

After his masters in Industrial Engineering Dirk-Jan worked on multiple sustainable products and projects. He always had a passion for combining sustainability with making beautiful products. In 2013 he decided to move to Indonesia, together with his partner Alexandra Vosmaer. Dirk-Jan wanted to look for opportunities in Indonesia in sustainability and Alexandra started to work with the endangered orangutans in Borneo.

In the following years, Theo and Dirk-Jan witnessed at first hand the destruction caused by massive deforestation in Borneo. In 2018, they decided to set up their own social enterprise, Forestwise, to empower the local inhabitants to protect the remaining rainforest.

Forestwise does this by producing Rainforest products, creating more value for forest communities while increasing the value of the forest as a natural resource, and providing genuinely sustainable alternatives for consumers around the world.

OUr team

We are a team of professional all-rounders who are committed to creating #RainforestValue in order to sustain the rainforest in Borneo.

Ripka Apriyanti

Finance Staff

Herkulanus Aming

Security staff

Flekurius Anom

Production staff

Matius Mustofo Asen

Security Staff

Basri

Production Staff

Martin Davidson

Factory Manager

Maretta Dewi

Finance Manager

Marselus Julung

Maintenance Coordinator

Oktaviana Intan Maharani

HRD and Legal Staff

Marpilus

Production Staff

Petrus Deni Kurniawan

Security Staff

Martinus Minto

Driver

Alexander van Oord

Head of Business Development

Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn

Co-founder and CEO

Marcha Adiwara Prawita

Project Manager

Calvinosius Rasula

Security Staff

Tohonan Agus Sirait

Pharmacist

Theo Smits

Co-founder and CTO

Alexandra Vosmaer

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MANAGER

Riyanto Vrio

Warehouse & Logistics Coordinator

OUr advisory board

Dominique Lecossois

Senior Board Advisor

PT Forestwise wild keepers

The Forestwise entity in Indonesia is named PT Forestwise Wild Keepers. In February 2020 we opened our own factory in Sintang (West-Kalimantan) to produce raw ingredients which are harvested from the areas around Sintang.

PT Forestwise Wild Keepers employs 35 Indonesian staff in the peak season, who work in finance, production, buying of raw materials and CSR activities.

OUR Approach to create #RainforestValue

1. Conserving the rainforest
Any farmer, community, cooperative, village or other type of organization that legally owns, manages or administers a forest area and is willing to protect it can apply to join Forestwise. Forestwise will advise the farmer or organization on how to best conserve the relevant forest area, provide practical assistance, and train people in how to prepare products that create #Rainforestvalue

2. Providing efficient processing technology
Forestwise advises which forest products have the most potential for creating #RainforestValue for the forest community in their specific area. Together with the relevant organization, Forestwise will set up efficient and sustainable supply chains that run from fresh forest produce through raw materials to consumer products. We aim to create most of this value as near to the forest as possible.

3. Sales and distribution
Forestwise sells rainforest products both in Borneo and overseas. Each farmer gets the same fair price. 

We aim to maximise the financial benefit for the farmers and at the same time to create a financial incentive for them to conserve the forest and to #StopDeforestation.

We have also established a consumer brand around rainforest products to give consumers the opportunity to experience the power of previously undiscovered rainforest products.

A
  • Identify communities that legally manage areas of rainforest and are willing to protect these.

  • Analyse the needs and wishes of individual rainforest communities.

  • Conduct field assessment of crops and production capacity in the relevant area of rainforest.

B

Analyse market opportunities for these product

C

Map the area of rainforest (by satellite) in order to verify production capacity.

D

Secure sales so as tobe able to set up hub.

E

Once sales security is established, enter into agreements with communities for the supply of raw materials.

F
G
H

Once sales security is established, enter into agreements with communities for the supply of raw materials.

Continuously monitor the protected area of rainforest by satellite.

  • Train rainforest communities in how to prepare the products.

  • Purchase rainforest products and process these in our factory.

OUR PARTNERS

Our partners in conserving the wild rainforest:

Our partners in bringing our products to the market: