The perfume industry has recently seen a surge in innovation, with top brands competing to create unique, exotic fragrances. This trend has pushed experts to explore rare natural ingredients worldwide, including nutmeg, traditionally used in Southeast Asian cuisine and now recognized for its aromatic potential in perfumery.
Nutmeg can also be seen in Filipino dishes like suman, bibingka, and biko, valued not just for its warm, aromatic flavor but also for its digestive and anti-inflammatory benefits. Despite growing demand, nutmeg cultivation faces sustainability challenges.
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| Mama Siti harvesting the nutmeg in her community forest |
In Indonesia's Papua region, nutmeg harvesting is a family effort, but women dominate post-harvest processing—gathering fallen fruits, separating flesh from seeds, and drying them.
As we celebrate International Women's Month, it's important to recognize the women behind these raw materials. In many parts of the world, women play a crucial yet often overlooked role in agriculture and natural ingredient production. Their labor and expertise drive industries far beyond their local economies, contributing to global markets.
Mama Siti, a 52-year-old nutmeg farmer and cooperative board member leads women in processing high-quality nutmeg. For the Indigenous Peoples of West Papua, the nutmeg tree symbolizes life and is deeply respected, with strict taboos against felling it. Traditional harvest practices include a "wewowo" gathering two months prior, where a kebaya (a traditional outfit) is symbolically placed on trees to prevent premature harvesting. The trees are “undressed” when harvesting begins, followed by a natural land recovery period.
Mama Siti explains, "The nutmeg trees in the village forest of Dusun Pala, Pangwadar Village, Kokas District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua are already abundant, so the men's task is usually only to climb the trees to pick the ripe fruit. As for the processing, so far, there are 118 women who clean the nutmeg fruits, separate the flesh from the seeds, and then dry them under the sun." However, fluctuating nutmeg prices and a biannual harvest cycle make farming financially unstable. Many farmers take on seasonal jobs to survive.
"The price of nutmeg often fluctuates and is unpredictable depending on the season. When the price drops, the income from nutmeg is only enough to meet daily needs. After the harvest season ends, many of us are forced to switch occupations to support our families," adds Mama Siti. "The Tomandin nutmeg tree is not just a tree to us. It is a legacy from our ancestors, passed down through generations to give us life. I can only say that Tomandin nutmeg is a miracle for us."
Kaleka and Wewowo Lestari Initiative
In the midst of these challenges, an Indonesian nonprofit Kaleka launched Wewowo Lestari to enhance nutmeg value while preserving the environment. Through training, women farmers learn improved processing techniques.
"We empower farmers with better SOPs, including solar drying, which has boosted sales revenue by 13-40%," says Kaleka's Executive Board Assistant, Venticia Hukom. Beyond quality improvements, Kaleka collaborates with the French Association Francaise des Dieteticiens Nutritionnistes (AFDN) to develop nutmeg-based products. "Papuan nutmeg was overlooked due to its low oil yield, but our research increased its extraction rate from 1% to 3.5%, enabling its use in perfumes and cosmetics," Hukom explains.
This has opened doors to partnerships with global brands like Hermès and Chanel. Kaleka continues to explore markets for expanded nutmeg-based products, boosting its international competitiveness.
Improving the Local Economy and Preserving the Environment
The Wewowo Lestari initiative has not only increased farmers' incomes but also positively impacted the environment. Through Koperasi Mery Tora Qpohi, a business entity established by and for nutmeg farmers, members earn 11-40% more than selling to middlemen. Fakfak Regency in West Papua, home to 908,850 hectares of forest and where 26,927 indigenous people rely on 56 nutmeg trees per hectare of forest for their livelihoods. Kaleka has supported nutmeg sustainability for nearly eight years. For these communities, nutmeg is more than a commodity—it is a way of life.
Mama Siti said, “By applying local wisdom in the sustainable processing of nutmeg, we can maintain a stable livelihood without having to sacrifice the environment and provide an incentive for us to always preserve the forest, so that we are not dependent on extractive industries that damage the forest.” Maximizing nutmeg’s potential has led to new products like syrups, sweets, and essential oils, increasing its economic value.
"Assisted by Kaleka, we continue to strive to utilize all parts of nutmeg to minimize waste that typically accumulates when it is used as a cooking ingredient. Currently, we have sold approximately 500 bottles of fruit juice made from nutmeg pulp that would otherwise have been left under the nutmeg trees to rot,” Mama Siti explains. The success of Wewowo Lestari brings hope for nutmeg farmers. By fostering collective learning and evidence-based advocacy, the initiative aims to drive policy changes for environmental management and sustainable economic development.
"In five years, we envision a functional social enterprise led by Indigenous communities, where they can sell their nutmeg at a high value, similar to other sustainable commodities produced in West Papua such as seaweed, crabs, and patchouli, which can improve the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples. In ten years, Kaleka aims to have indigenous forests recognized at the national level, with forest protection policies that could inspire other regions in Indonesia. In fifteen years, we will see a cluster industry of perfumes, essential oils, and fisheries in Fakfak, West Papua," said Venticia Hukom.
