Founded in Singapore in 2013, GTCL is a sustainable wellness company that aims to promote and preserve bio-diversity in ecosystems of lesser-known tropical produce.

In the process, we are helping to improve the health of our consumers, as well as the livelihoods of the farmers we work with.

With a focus on stingless Trigona bees, we support the education of farmers to keep these tiny bees for crop pollination, moving them towards organic farming and thereby benefiting from the resulting increase in crop yields across endemic varieties. With more bee colonies, we are able to provide their prized honey commercially.

Our range of products include Trigona bee-pollinated crops such as activated pili nuts, medicinal Trigona bee honey, all-natural skincare and other wellness products.

Help us help others. Find out more about Tropical Biodiversity.

OUR STORY

GTCL was founded by two entrepreneurs from Singapore, both with a passion for clean eating and conscious living.

After years of working in high-pressure corporate environments in Singapore and the United States, the two yearned for a less-stressful lifestyle, as well as an alternative to mindless - and often unhealthy - consumption.

The impetus to form GTCL came after a serious illness struck a family member. 

Initially we were interested in food that was potentially healing for the terminally sick. The more we researched, the more we came to learn about the nutrition density of different foods, how they were grown and processed, and ultimately, how modern food preparation methods often introduced disease-forming elements, or robbed our food of nutrients.

The call of clean eating and conscious consumption couldn’t be ignored. We chose to eat more fresh and organic food, introducing our cancer-stricken dad to nourishment that was also naturally healing.

While the change in diet did not aim to replace medicine and hospital treatments, it did help our dad spend a few more comfortable years with his family, surpassing his doctor’s predicted life expectancy.

The benefits of our new lifestyle also became apparent as we experienced improvements in our own health: skin allergies disappeared, bodies became leaner and stronger, we became less prone to common colds, and energy levels were much improved. 

Soon after, the reparative and healing qualities of food made us think more about its powers to prevent illness. 

We were also very keen to discover and develop health food that had gourmet tastes and textures, in contrast to the bland, and cardboard-like mouth feel associated with most commercially prepared health food products.

During a visit to the Philippines, we came to discover the strong immunity properties of Trigona stingless bee honey and the rich magnesium content of the buttery pili nut. The products’ naturally delicious flavours were a pleasant bonus.

After a chat with the local growers on the challenges of growing pili and raising stingless bees in their delicate ecosystems, our eureka moment was finally crystalized.

We went home with a mission to introduce the world to lesser-known food that was healing, nutrient-dense, delicious, and more importantly, give back to the communities and the land they were grown.

Today, we continue to share in the legacy of protecting endemic plant species for health purposes, while concocting fresh new flavours for our gourmet superfoods. 

This fulfills our dad’s wish and advice - that we live out the rest of our lives healthy and happy by taking a “huge bite out of life”, and by savouring all its delicious gifts.