United Agarwood Planters, Inc. (UAPI) is the pioneer of the legal and sustainable agarwood industry in the Philippines. In 2021, UAPI's parent company, Iba Botanicals Inc. (IBI), became the first company in the country to secure the full suite of regulatory licenses required to establish and develop commercial agarwood plantations.
We operate across the full value chain – from certified seedling production and large-scale plantation management, to inoculation, harvest, processing, and export. Our flagship operations are backed by access to OUDIno, the world's leading agarwood inoculation technology, developed by Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).
UAPI supports third-party planters through seedling supply, technical assistance, and a long-term buy-back guarantee – providing a reliable commercial pathway to international buyers in the Middle East and Western fragrance markets.
Founder & CEO
Philippines permanent resident since 2015. Leading 200+ full-time employees.
Ben relocated to Asia in 2014, bringing more than 20 years of executive experience across the energy, industrial, resources, and agricultural sectors in both public and private companies. Since then, he has focused on building start-up ventures in ASEAN's emerging agricultural industries. He founded Iba Botanicals Inc. and United Agarwood Planters, Inc., and also founded The Mead Foundation, which supports medical, marine conservation, and community development initiatives across the Philippines.
Chairman & Shareholder
Former Secretary of Agriculture. Pioneer agri-entrepreneur.
Cito leads multiple ventures spanning sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare, and environmental solutions. A champion of Philippine agarwood development, he has received recognition including the AGORA Award for Export Marketing Excellence and the Aurelio Periquet Jr. Pillar Award for Business Leadership.
Legal Advisor
Former OIC Director, DENR–Biodiversity Management Bureau. Architect of the legal agarwood plantation framework in the Philippines.
Theresa leads UAPI's policy and compliance work, with deep expertise in wildlife conservation, ethical sourcing, and biodiversity law. Her tenure at DENR–BMB – where she oversaw stewardship of endangered species – gave her a central role in enabling the legal agarwood sector that UAPI now leads. She continues to advance equitable frameworks for sustainable biological resource use, including protections for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Technical Consultant
PhD, Agarwood Science. 20+ years across Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Mun Theng is one of the world's foremost agarwood researchers, specializing in sustainable production, resin yield optimization, and inoculant science. She leads UAPI's research and development program, oversees our Malaysian R&D activities, and provides the technical backbone for our plantation quality standards. Her involvement ensures that every UAPI plantation is built on peer-reviewed science, not industry folklore.
UAPI and The Mead Foundation share a simple conviction: a commercial enterprise and a community can grow together.
For every seedling purchased through UAPI, ₱100 is allocated directly to The Mead Foundation's community programs in Bukidnon – where many of our trees are planted and where foundation programs are most active. Planters don't just invest in trees. They invest in the communities around them.
Medical
Mobile medical missions and primary care access in underserved communities
Livelihood & Community Development
Skills training, local enterprise, and income support programs
Education
Scholarships, school infrastructure, and youth development
