The story of the world’s first and most awarded certified organic coconut yoghurt began in 2010. After six months of daily testing and handcrafting batch after batch, COYO finally found the perfect, silky smooth and super creamy texture that we know today.
COYO’s Natural and Vanilla Bean flavoured coconut yoghurt are their most popular products.
“Our coconut yoghurt is such a versatile product that can be used in many ways,” says co-founder Sandra Gosling.
Proof of which can be found in a nourishing face mask recipe using COYO’s new, and Australian first, honey dairy-free coconut yoghurt on COYO’s website – a must-try!
Product development is at the forefront of COYO’s strategy, working alongside the coconut’s taste profiles to craft new flavours and experiences.
“Our initial products had a very strong coconut flavour, so over the years we have made incremental changes to make strawberry taste like strawberry and working with the elements rather than masking the coconut flavour with additives,” Sandra commented.
Because of its higher fat content, coconut delivers far more in its nutritional benefits, as Sandra explains, “Coconut itself has huge benefit, it contains lauric acid which is the medium chain fatty acid present in mother milk and is an immune booster.”
In addition to its delicious taste, COYO has perfected its product range over the years to provide a dairy-free alternative to their customers. Listening to their customers’ needs and striving for customer satisfaction is paramount to COYO’s success, with the ethos, “we believe that food connects us all, to the planet and to each other. It is our hope that by creating delicious, certified organic, dairy-free products that we provide, inspire and encourage everyone to find joy in healthy and sustainable eating.”
COYO launched its first dairy-free, coconut ice cream in 2012.
“There were challenges to make a coconut ice cream and obtain the right consistency as well as control the sugar content.
“We introduced functional elements to our coconut ice cream that have never been seen before such as chicory root and probiotic BB-12, the world’s most documented Bifidobacterium, clinically proven to contribute to improved health and wellness.”
The use of chicory root enables COYO to reduce the sugar content of its ice cream from 25g to just 11g – almost unheard of for this usually sugary treat.
The decision to become certified organic was a no brainer for the brand, as it was already using organic coconut milk in its products. Certification has now provided a point of difference for the brand against its competitors, with its own research finding that buying organic products was at the fifth place in the decision-making process for consumers.
COYO is calling for larger supermarkets to place more value in promoting organic products and for more operators to join the industry.
A current challenge the brand faces is the need to import organic fruit puree from overseas, as they haven’t been able to source a local fruit processor in Australia. A gap in the market for Australian organic processed fruit provides a unique entry point for operators looking to enter the certified organic space.
What’s next for the brand? COYO is focused on exporting to the US market and settling its core range, while continuously improving and expanding its different flavours and products.
To learn more about COYO, jump onto their website: coyo.com/au
