Juboken was established by Dr. Justino R. Arboleda in 1994 and since then has been one of the main pioneers and innovators of the Philippine Coconut Coir Industry. Juboken Enterprises – derived from the names of his wife, Julie, Dr. Bo and their son, Ken – which incidentally, according to Dr. Bo, is also a Japanese word meaning “important adventure.” Dr. Arboleda’s, or ‘Bo’s has spent a major portion of his professional life is in the academic community. He rose from the ranks to become Dean of the Bicol University College of Agriculture (BUCA) from ’87-’94. During this time, he headed several projects supported by local and international agencies. Later he transformed himself into an entrepreneur to prove that technologies developed in the University can be viable business ventures and are, therefore, bankable. Thus, he filed a leave of absence to organize a pilot coconut fiber factory. Its main product is a biodegradable geo-textile, a mat made from coconut husk fiber that is used as anti-soil erosion material.
