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Ingredients in Focus is Food Dive’s bite-size column highlighting interesting developments in the ingredients sector.
The white, meaty inside of the coconut has seen a surge in popularity.
Rising awareness of healthy eating and exposure to vegan and plant-based products have led to an increase in demand for healthy coconut meat.
The coconut meat market is in a position for robust growth, with an expected compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 to 9% over the next five years, potentially reaching a market size of around $1.5 billion by 2028, according to a report from Reliable Research Times sent to Food Dive.
Leading the charge on coconut meat’s popularity has been trendy coconut yogurt brands that got their fame through social media.
Coconut Cult is a probiotic coconut yogurt brand that sells creative flavors of the product including Banana Cream Pie, Original, Chocolate Mousse, Harvest Strawberry, and most recently, Raspberry Chocolate Truffle in collaboration with Honey Mama’s — a niche, better-for-you chocolate bar brand.
Coconut meat is an acquired taste for some — often tasting tart and having notes of woodiness.
What’s interesting is that brands like Coconut Cult are using this strong taste to its advantage.
The company recently took to Tik Tok to explain to users “the rules of the cult.” The first rule, it said, was to eat a couple of spoonfuls at a time. The second rule was to enjoy the product’s unique sour flavor, “that tang, that fizz, that’s the taste of gut health, if your taste buds don’t like it, they’re telling you they don’t like healthy foods and that’s not good.”
The final message in the social media video was telling users “not to complain about the flavor, because the flavor is magic.”
Consumers are increasingly looking for healthier options for their favorite food options.
Amid the uptick in healthy eating, there has also been an increased focus on gut health. Coconut meat is high in fiber and MCTs, making the ingredient a fit in the trend among consumers. Often paired with probiotics, companies using the ingredient market their products as being “gut healthy.” Coconut Cult, for example, shares customers’ testimonies on its website saying, “I have only been taking this daily for 2 weeks but already notice a huge difference in my gut health.”
Other companies using the ingredient include Zuma Valley, which produced frozen coconut ingredients, including coconut meat and coconut cream, for use in juice bars and home kitchens, Connoils which makes organic coconut oil and oil powders from fresh coconut meat, Copra Coconuts which sells hand scooped frozen young Thai coconut meat, among others.
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