The secret to our Cold Pressed Coconut Oil is in the processing. Why do we call it Cold Pressed Coconut Oil instead of just Coconut Oil? Because our oil is different. It’s wet-milled instead of dry milled, which helps contribute to the fact that our coconut oil is also very, very good for you.

A lot of the oil on the market is dry-milled, which means that the coconut is cracked and the flesh is taken out. It’s then dried and finally it’s pressed. The key thing with oil is that you need to reduce the moisture content. As with a lot of things, moisture content is what affects the stability of it. If there’s too much moisture it goes rancid. The processing of coconut oil is all about getting the moisture out and separating the oil.

Wet-milling is where the nut is cracked and the flesh is taken out. We use mature coconuts and inside there’s a brown tester, or skin, which is taken off. It’s then put into an industrial auger juicer, which is a cold press juicer. What comes out is all the liquid, the juice from the flesh along with the milk, a watery, oily emulsion. This all occurs at ambient temperature, which might be around the high 20s or low 30s since it takes place in the tropics, and then it’s chilled at 13-15 degrees. At that temperature, the bond in the emulsion between the water and oil weakens. It’s then put into a spinner, like a lettuce spinner you might have at home, only an industrial-sized version. It doesn’t generate any heat at all, it just rotates the liquid, which splits the bond and separates all the oil off.

This is all done quite quickly, so from the time when the nuts are cracked to the time when we get the oil, it might be about two to three hours. You’ll notice that our latest batch of oil is particularly good quality. It’s very light with a really mild flavor and aroma…it’s very buttery. So that’s why we used to call it Coconut Butter: it’s quite different to a lot of the dry-milled coconut oil on the market which comes from the Pacific. Our Cold Pressed Coconut Oil is very smooth, becoming liquid at above 27/28 degrees and remaining solid below that. But why is it so good for you?

Well, according to the most basic dietary folk wisdom, “FAT = BAD”. We all know that a certain quantity of fats are essential for a healthy diet…but how do we figure it all out?

Fats are a minefield: saturated, polyunsaturated, short-chained, long-chained…for the less scientifically-minded amongst us, it’s all very daunting. How do we know what’s good and what’s bad?

In the most simple terms, the more something is processed in order to be useable, the worse it is for us. You already know that this is true with other foods, and exactly the same is true with fats. The fact is that some fats are actually very good for you, and coconut oil is one of them.

In the past, coconut oil came under criticism for its saturated fat content. What we know now is that it’s made up of a rare group of saturated fats called medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). Amongst many other health benefits, research shows that MCT helps in weight loss. The body deals with MCT very differently than it does with other saturated fats. They’re easily digested, broken down and converted into immediately usable energy. Other saturated fats are more difficult to break down, and thus are absorbed into the body as fat cells rather than converted to energy. Recent research shows that coconut oil enhances metabolism for up to 24 hours after consuming it, which means you’ll continue to burn calories long after you’ve eaten.

There are many other benefits to coconut oil which ensure that it’ll make you feel as good as it makes you look good. It boosts the immune system through its lauric, caprylic and capric acids, thus fighting off minor infections, plus it has natural anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Which is exactly why scientists are increasingly finding that coconut oil is the best fat in the world.

It supports bodily organs and systems, such as the thyroid function. It helps prevent liver and kidney disease and bladder infections. It helps dissolve kidney stones and improves bowel function. It improves cholesterol ratio, reducing risk of heart disease. Research is even showing that it may helps protect the body against cancers (including breast and colon), osteoporosis, periodontal disease, tooth decay and free radicals (which contribute to premature ageing). It also reduces or relieves symptoms of pancreatitis, diabetes, gallbladder disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, haemorrhoids, epileptic seizures, prostate enlargement, chronic fatigue syndrome, inflammation, malabsorption syndrome, cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's disease…which all goes to show just exactly how coconut truly is a superfood!