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The tagua

The TAGUA, also know as nut ivory or vegetal ivory, comes from the “Palma Microcarphas Phitelephas” seed, this seed grows in the Ecuadorian tropical in a very wild form and in forest called “taguales” located in some provinces of Ecuador, thank to its humid and tropical regions.

The Tagua palm has an average of 20 to 30 feet high and it takes from 14 to 15 year to reach it´s maturity. The dried nut of the tagua is about the size of a nut of 40 centimeters and its color varies blue to ambar, and it hangs from a palm similar to a palm tree.

When this palm is young the nut is also called mococha, it keeps in the inside a milky substance with coconut flavor. When it grows and becomes mature the tagua becomes so solid that it requires to be worked with specialized tools in order to be commercialized, especially for buttons tagua figures and accessories that are offered throughout the world.

In order to process the tagua and get the “animelas” the nuts must have a sun drying process during 1 to 3 months, after this process the will become hard enough to be worked.

Our expert crafters do the most beautiful Ecuadorian´s fauna figures, necklaces, earrings, collars among other tagua products giving us the international recognition for the most wonderful endings.

Additionally, the growers take advantage of other parts of the palm, such as medicines from the roots, and the leaves to cover houses.

Thank to its ecologic features  the tagua bottoms are considered as a new choice against contamination  specially for industrialized countries.

Ecuador is the only tagua exporter as a raw material for buttons in the world.

The Tagua is also know in countries like:

Vegetable Ivory Nut or Tagua Nut (Inglés)
Corozo Nut (Inglés Británico)
Binroji Nut (Japonés)
Coquilla Nut (Brasil)
Steinnuss (Alemán)
Homero o Pullipunta (Perú)

Process

• Product Harvest: The tagua harvest is made by hand by our crafters in the “taguales”, they are taken by different ways of transportation to the specialized centers and finally taken to the “tendales”.
• Drying: In order to ge the “animelas”, the nuts must be dried naturally for a period of six weeks (it could take longer) in after that it must have become hard enough to be worked.
• Peeling: After the drying the product is taken to the peeler machine that procceds to take the cape of the nut. The tagua is made of 3 layers and in case of any leftovers they proceed to take if off until the nut is absolutely cleaned then the nut is selected according to its size to be worked.
• Cutting: Dozens of workers cut the tagua in slices according to its size.
• Turning: Every slice is taken to a turner who is the person that work the “animelas” in different lineds.
• Selection: Every “animela” is selected according to its color by  our export crafter in order to be commercialized.