Balung Noni
100% Organically Grown
The rich volcanic soil of
our plantations, combines with the clean air and pure
water of Borneo to provide the perfect environment in
which to grow nutrient-rich noni fruit.
Noni (botanically known as Morinda Citrifolia) is a
shrub or small tree in the Rubiaceae family. The plant
is native to Malaysia and Southeast Asia but has been
introduced far afield, throughout India and into the
Pacific islands as far as Tahiti. Noni grows in shady
forests (making it ideal for Balung Plantation), as well
as on open rocky or sandy shores. It reaches maturity in
about 18 months and then yields between 4-8 kg of fruit
every month throughout the year. It is tolerant of
saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils.
The fruit has a pungent
odour when ripe, and is therefore sometimes known as
cheese fruit. It is in oval shape and reaches 4-7 cm in
size. At first green, the fruit (which contains many
seeds) turns yellow then almost white as it ripens.
Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, the fruit is
nevertheless eaten as a famine food and, in some Pacific
islands, even a staple, either raw or cooked. Southeast
Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw
with salt or cook it with curry. The seeds are edible
when roasted.