An absorbent product is useable as an absorbent material for cleaning spills or as a plant growth medium for improved moisture retention. A method includes processing a raw coir feedstock to pieces of a predetermined size (100, 120) and compressing (140) the pieces at a predetermined temperature and pressure. The resulting pieces are cooled for a predetermined time to an ambient temperature (160) and broken to a predetermined size (180). The resulting pieces are mixed with coir fines from the crumbling process at a predetermined ratio to form a final absorbent product (180, 200, 220).
