Meet maker Jo from Jojito Creations

Jo is a Cornish girl currently seeing out the pandemic on Corn Island, Nicaragua until travel gateways open up a new adventure. Here's how a little island coconut jewellery business came to be a Reuse Project maker.

Jo's story
I've been an avid traveller since my school years and I'm not sure I'll ever stop. Whilst the Cornish sandy beaches are my family home, I live to soak up other cultures and environments. After several years of living in Asia and purchasing my own coconut jewellery, life brought us to a little island in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Nicaragua in 2019. The island is 1.5 square miles in size and has no roads, no vehicles and is a 30 minute small boat ride away from the nearest airport. 

I purchased my first coconut necklace in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra seven years ago and I continue to wear it to this day. I love the look of the coconut shell.  It is handcrafted, sustainable, upcycled from discarded natural materials, and can be worn anywhere in any climate.

​In March 2020, the dreaded economic effects of Covid hit this island (like everywhere for everyone!). Since tourism is one of the main sources of income for the island, the locals here went back to concentrating on fishing and lobster production, and also continued to supply the mainland of Nicaragua with coconut oil. Jojito Creations was launched as a result of Covid-19, thus giving us the opportunity to try our hand at something new and creative!

Upcycle and Reuse
Here on Little Corn Island our neighbours go out early and collect wheelbarrows full of coconuts to produce and distribute coconut oil.  Curiosity and the desire to be creative led to experimenting in making my very own coconut shell necklace. I discovered a passion for using a power tool and carving coconut! ​

Jojito Creations Product Line
Living on an island, we see more than a fair share of plastic washed up on the beaches. When starting this small business, we were passionate about only using natural materials wherever possible. Our pendants are strung on cotton thread and sustainable hemp is used to package the items for delivery. 

Every piece is individual and has unique markings and so we never create the same look twice.

Sending anything out of Little Corn can be tricky and we're also very conscious of the air miles on our products. Bundles are sent back to the UK with willing visitors heading home and able to deliver to The Reuse Project. At the moment, anyone travelling to and from Little Corn is very infrequent but that's what makes these little gems even more unique.

The island is beautiful and creating these pieces gives everyone a chance to wear a little piece of paradise wherever they go in an eco-friendly fashion. I hope you love them as much as we do.

For ongoing item designs check out:

Facebook: /jojito.creations
Instagram: @jojito.creations