Whole Story

My wife is one tough customer. Guardian of our children's health, keeper of the family budget, she is my culinary moral compass. My wife is what we call a "core customer" - keen to trends but rooted in natural living. So when a Whole Foods Market new item appears in our home fridge or pantry, I know we have a hit on our hands. And sitting there on the top shelf of the fridge last week was a 64 oz carton of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. Most of us know So Delicious/Turtle Mountain because of their coconut and soy-based frozen desserts and yogurts, which have revolutionized dairy-free and soy-free diets. And now these creative minds have done something cool and unique in the world of milk. They have taken coconut milk out of the Asian foods aisle and put it into the familiar gable topped cartons that normally accompany breakfast cereal. Kevin Brouillette, Turtle Mountain's Vice President of Sales, told me that his team "was blown away by the taste and versatility of coconut milk." Not only does it looks like milk visually but the fatty acids in coconut milk give it a smooth, creamy texture. Known as medium chain fatty acids (MCFA's), these fats are a reason why coconut has been a dietary staple around the world. Many traditional cultures attribute coconut with health benefits. Western medicine concurs, with studies showing the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of MCFA's. And best of all, unlike the long chain fatty acids that most of us store in our love handles, MCFA's can be utilized as energy. Whole Foods Market is the first national retailer to sell So Delicious Refrigerated Coconut Milks, and we currently sell three flavors nationwide: Plain, Unsweetened and Vanilla. They are gluten-free, vegan and fortified with calcium and Vitamin B12. Or, as my wife said, "This stuff rocks."