Vita Coco coconut milk, light variant

Vita Coco is predicting an ambitious £7m-plus of total value sales next year for its coconut milk offer, driven by NPD and “high-profile marketing”

With the brand’s original coconut milk having generated value sales of £652,658 since its launch 10 months ago [IRI w/e 11 November 2017], Vita Coco European CEO Giles Brook predicted it would account for “around 40%” of the £7m target, based on the product run rate during the most recent 12 weeks. The rest would be generated by the brand’s new Light variant, he said.

Rolling out to Sainsbury’s, Whole Foods Market and Ocado, Light is “one of the lowest-calorie dairy-free milks on the market” according to Vita Coco. It is a blend of coconut water and coconut cream, providing 1% fat and 20 calories per 100ml (rsp: £2.99/one litre).

The milk would attract health-conscious shoppers who “will only pick up a light variant” Brook said, adding it would also appeal to those wanting a milder coconut taste.

Brook added there were “a couple of partnerships up our sleeve” and suggested the range would be extended. “You’re going to see a lot more innovation in this category from us.”

The total dairy alternative milk market is currently worth £272m. Recent value sales of coconut-based offers have grown at more than three times the rate of total chilled dairy alternatives – 29% versus 9% – with Vita Coco as a lead driver, contributing over a third of the increase [IRI 12 w/e 14 October 2017].

“We are projecting retail sales next year in excess of £7m,” Brook told The Grocer. “We’ve got a hell of a lot lined up. What we’ve done in coconut water, we want to do in coconut milk.”