Our Stori
Welcome to Coco Loco Wellness – Nourishing People, Supporting Local Communities and Building Financial Inclusion in Papua New Guinea
Today marks an exciting milestone as we officially launch the Coco Loco Wellness online store.
Coco Loco Wellness was created with a vision to connect healthy living with community empowerment. We believe wellness is not only about the food we eat, but also about creating opportunities for local farmers, fishers, small businesses, and informal market vendors to participate in the formal economy.
Founded by Sofia Ramoi, Director of SR Curio Investments Limited, Coco Loco Wellness brings together fresh local products, wellness essentials, farm-to-table offerings, seafood, and community experiences while supporting financial inclusion and entrepreneurship across Papua New Guinea.
“I believe wellness extends beyond personal health. It is about creating healthier communities, stronger livelihoods, and greater opportunities for people to participate in the economy.”
— Sofia Ramoi, Director of SR Curio Investments Limited and Founder of Coco Loco Wellness
Our Journey: From Financial Inclusion to Farm and Sea
In 2024, I initiated a three-month financial literacy pilot project at Vanimo Town Market to support informal market vendors with financial education, digital financial services, and pathways towards formalisation.
Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by informal businesses and their customers, particularly those without formal identification.
Long queues, transportation costs, and the time spent waiting in bank branches—sometimes three to four hours only to be told to return the next working day—created significant barriers for people trying to access financial services.
With remote support and advice from the BSP Head Office team, including Moslee Bob and Paul Black, as well as the local Vanimo branch, I gained deeper insight into the challenges and ambitions of the majority of Papua New Guinea’s economy: subsistence farmers, market vendors, and participants in the informal sector.
This lived experience strengthened my commitment to improving financial inclusion and helping communities transition from informal livelihoods into sustainable businesses.
The Birth of Coco Loco Wellness
In 2025, I launched Coco Loco Wellness Cafe and Gift Shop using self-care products carried in my suitcase. What started as a Mother's Day roadside table market grew into a home-based cafe focused on community engagement, wellness, and creating opportunities for young people.
During this journey, I employed two youth from the settlement community. Both had mobile phones but no formal identification.
Through digital financial services, opening their Wantok Wallet accounts took less than five minutes, as I had already experienced the process as an existing SMS banking customer.
This small step represented something much bigger: the ability for people traditionally excluded from formal financial systems to begin building financial identities.
Supporting Yule Island Fisher Families Through Coco Loco Seafoods
In June 2026, we expanded our mission by launching Coco Loco Seafoods in Port Moresby, working with fisher families from Yule Island.
Our journey highlighted another challenge faced by small suppliers: inefficient and costly cash-based payments.
After experiencing the risks, costs, and time involved in manually withdrawing cash to pay vendors, we made our first supplier payment through Wantok Wallet.
This allows our operations to become:
- More cashless.
- More efficient.
- Safer for our team and suppliers.
- More transparent.
Most importantly, digital payments help our vendors build a financial record. By creating transaction histories and bank statements, small producers and informal businesses can demonstrate income and work towards accessing formal financial products, including potential loans.
Our Commitment
At Coco Loco Wellness, every purchase supports more than a product—it supports a movement.
We are committed to:
🌿 Supporting local farmers and producers.
🦀 Working with fishing communities and seafood suppliers.
💚 Promoting healthy living through quality products.
📱 Encouraging financial inclusion and digital transformation.
🤝 Helping informal businesses move towards formalisation and growth.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Welcome to Coco Loco Wellness—where wellness, community, and opportunity come together.