Forestwise was founded in 2018 by Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn with the mission of protecting the Bornean rainforest by developing a forest-based economy centered on wild-harvested products. Among them, Illipe butter—extracted from the seeds of Shorea stenoptera—is the flagship product, offering a natural alternative to cocoa butter in both the cosmetics and food industries. What sets this initiative apart is not only its ecological sustainability but also its application of technology to build a scalable, internationally compliant supply chain that aligns local community benefits with global emission reduction goals.
Rather than pursuing purely high-tech development, Forestwise adopts a “green” technological strategy focused on systems thinking. The company has built an integrated production platform—from harvesting and processing to product standardization—aimed at achieving international market commercialization. The founding team does not simply develop products in the digital sense; instead, they have created an optimized operational model covering procurement, processing, certification, and distribution. At the heart of this innovation is a factory located in Sintang, West Kalimantan (Indonesia), which employs cold-pressing and natural filtration technology to preserve the nutrients in Illipe butter while meeting rigorous international standards such as USDA Organic and Fair for Life, certified by Ecocert.
Instead of directly competing with synthetic ingredients or conventional vegetable butters, Forestwise positions its technology as an ecological alternative—where technical efficiency goes hand in hand with positive social impact. Illipe butter offers superior melting point, excellent moisturizing properties, and thermal stability, making it ideal for natural cosmetic formulations that require consistency, such as balms or lipsticks. Compared to cocoa butter, Illipe’s higher resilience in hot and humid conditions is a key advantage—particularly for international brands like Lush, which seek environmentally friendly, traceable, and low-carbon-footprint ingredients.
A crucial factor in Forestwise’s success is its ability to integrate production technology within a community-based economic model. To date, the startup has partnered with over 700 farmers across 27 villages in Borneo, providing them with a stable income without the need for deforestation. Its transparent purchasing policy, traceability system managed through batch codes, and internationally recognized certifications have created a trustworthy ecosystem—not only for local communities but also for global investors and customers.
Notably, Forestwise received a grant of USD 455,000 from the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) initiative. This funding is expected to help reduce more than 340,000 tons of CO₂ emissions by 2025, generate nearly 50 direct jobs, and support around 1,800 farming households. Through the P4G Vietnam Summit 2025, Forestwise gained access to key partners in the green development sector, expanding its commercial network and promoting a rainforest conservation model that aligns with sustainable livelihoods.
The journey of Forestwise stands as a compelling example of how startups can build technology rooted in indigenous resources while aligning with international standards to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity conservation. Rather than using technology solely to boost output, this startup uses it to preserve—turning forest conservation into a viable economic strategy. Its model demonstrates that the true value of innovation doesn’t necessarily lie in algorithms or digital platforms, but in how technology is embedded within a local ecosystem to address specific social issues in a sustainable way.
Amid a global shift toward the circular economy and green development, models like Forestwise are gaining recognition—not just for their profitability, but for their meaningful contributions to the planet’s future.
