A small Kiwi coconut oil company has slipped its way into the big books, cracking a major US supermarket chain.
Whangarei cooking oil creator Cocavo has secured an agreement with Walmart, to have three varieties of oil stocked in over 4000 stores across the states.
Company co-director Chris Nathan told Newshub that "our senior broker in the US has never seen any product rolled out to such a large number of stores in one hit."
Cocavo is a range of blended oils; a mix of extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil and avocado oil. Some are infused with turmeric and lemon, others chilli and lime. The company promises there are more varieties coming soon.
"We were approached by Walmart who loved our product," Nathan and partner Neville Montefiore said.
"For a small company like Cocavo that has only been in production for 22 months, this was an extraordinary accomplishment for the business."
It's not the first international achievement for the team. Cocavo is already stocked in 1000 individual supermarkets across the US.
But with heated debate over the place of "healthy fats" in Western diets growing, Nathan and Montefiore have had to adapt their recipes and marketing to the American market.
"There is a fast-growing groundswell away from sugary products, and a subsequent growth in the awareness and consumption of 'good fats' like coconut oil, avocado oil and olive oil," they told Newshub.
Apart from being lower in saturated fat than regular coconut oil, Cocavo has the health benefits of avocado oil, plus all the high-heat cooking qualities of both oils.
Newshub.
