FACTS ABOUT beLEAF™

#1 - beLEAF™ comes from the Alocasia Macrorrihza plant. This plant grows naturally on the riverbanks, it originates from rain forests in Borneo, Malaysia and continental Asia but it’s now widespread in tropical areas all over the world, like Brazil, home to th groundbreaking beLEAF™ development.

#2 - We cultivate the ‘roots’ in an open nursery for circa 6 months. From there and after 6 months they are transplanted to the field. For the initial 6 months the plant will bring leaves in sizes varying between 1 and 2 sq ft.

#3 - 6-month to 1 year old plants: for the next 6 months (1 to 1,5 year-old plant) you will find leaves 2 to 3sq ft. From 18 to 24 months, there will be more mature plants with leaves measuring 2 to 4 sq ft.

4# - Towards the end of this period (#3) the plant will be big and big leaves will come out - but the plant starts to lose strength. It will time to uncover the root, divide the mature root (live a big potato) in 2 halves and replant them - re-starting the cycle, but this time cycles will be relatively shorter.

5# - Time of the year will have an impact on this ‘model cycle’ above (raining season accelerating growth and bringing more leaves). We try to smooth out the cycle using irrigation in the dry season. It helps, but the field really bloom in our summer (december to march). We have had good progress in the ability to carry over leaves in wet white condition between seasons.

#6 - We are continuously expanding the area. Hence our size distribution on these early years will be skewed towards to smaller sizes / younger plants. As time goes by - and more plants mature - we expect to see a more uniform distribution.

#7 - The leaves are treated with an organic process developed internally in NK that uses special oils and chemicals not harmful for the health or polluting the environment and so that they attain a stable state where they do not deteriorate if kept dry.

#8 - They are then stored in a warehouse (there will be in future stock of leaves in the different size groups to guarantee constant delivery of all sizes throughout the year).

#9 - The water used in the process can be reused for more treatments and for irrigation.

#10 - All the waste and leftovers from the production are used as fertilizers in the land where the plants are cultivated or in fields with normal agriculture cultivation.

#11 - The leaves are dyed using special dyestuffs in the tanning process and are not surface sprayed with any pigment.

#12 - They are then finished for the moment in three different versions: Mat, Shiny, and Pearlized/Fashion.

#13 - The ‘nerve pattern’ is the same for all leaves - but each leaf is an ‘individual’ and hence does have its own ‘digitals’. They are ‘natural’ and beLEAF™ technology was meant to preserve the oneness of each leaf.

#14 - The leaves are backed with microfiber lining, but we can use also cotton and in the future, there will be a new types of linings of natural origin available.

#15 - A new building has been built specifically designed to host the new machinery that has been studied and assembled after over three years of experiments and trials to obtain the highest consistency in the production of this innovative material.

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