“We supply only the young coconuts from Thailand. The Thai Nam Hom coconut has the best quality,” says Andre van der Horst of Exotimex Europe. Thailand is by far the largest country when it comes to producing young coconuts. There’s more supply from other countries, but “we’ve noticed our customers prefer Thai coconuts, because these are better, qualitatively. The variety and the soil decide the product’s quality, and these are both good in Thailand.” Due to its popularity, countries such as Vietnam and India are also starting to export young coconuts, but these can’t really find a foothold in Europe yet.
Skill
The market for young coconuts has been growing for years. “In Thailand, a lot was planted to meet demand in recent years. The production of young coconuts is intense and requires skill. The product is harvested every day year-round, and every 20 days, each tree is inspected by experts on the plantation to decide if they can be harvested again. A 40ft reefer container holds about 18,000 coconuts, which are topped and packed after harvesting,” Andre says. About once a year, there’s a significant shortage on the market, because the trees don’t bear fruit. It could happen that entire plantations hardly bear any fruit while the plantation next door does bear fruit. Growers see this coming, but because it’s difficult to absorb the shortage, prices rise.
Luxury product
Exotimex Europe has imported young coconuts from Thailand for nearly ten years now. Each year, the company sells one or two containers per week. “In winter we sell more young coconuts than in summer, because there’s more competition in summer,” Andre explains. The company sells its products throughout Europe. “The product is truly a luxury product that’s very popular in Western Europe. A lot of coconuts are also sent directly from Thailand to the US, Canada and China, where they are much in demand. The young coconuts are mostly consumed at beach clubs, festivals and in hip catering establishments, and they’re often used as the basis for smoothies, for example. It’s an incredibly fun and exotic product, and it’s very healthy to boot.”
An important aspect of the product is that it’s cooled well when still fresh. They have a limited shelf life, and freshness and quick sales are therefore important. When the coconuts are harvested after about six months, they’re placed in containers for shipping on the same day. It takes about 28 days to transport a coconut from Thailand to Rotterdam.
Diamond shape
The young coconuts from Thailand have all been cut into a diamond shape. This unique shape is characteristic of the young Thai coconuts. “Growers in Thailand are very skilled in cutting the young coconuts. The cutting technique in other countries isn’t as advanced as in Thailand yet. The function of the diamond shape is that it’s efficient regarding logistics, and pleasant when consuming a young coconut,” another importer says. As a product, the young coconut can’t be compared to brown coconuts. “They’re two completely different products that are sometimes interchangeable in consumers’ minds. The products aren’t each other’s competitors, they enrich each other.”
