The Collaborative
The Coconut Collab is a UK-based premium plant-based food brand producing coconut yogurts, desserts, cream, custard, and drinks, sold through all major UK grocery chains plus foodservice wholesale and Amazon, serving health-conscious consumers, vegans, and mainstream UK grocery shoppers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Collaborative does
The Coconut Collaborative Ltd, trading as The Coconut Collab, is a UK-based privately held food company founded in 2014 by James Averdieck, who previously founded and sold the Gu dessert brand. The company produces premium plant-based dairy alternatives derived from coconut, organised into four product categories: coconut yogurts (eight SKUs including Natural, Vanilla, Mango and Passion Fruit, Raspberry, Strawberry, Protein with 10g plant protein, Gut Health, and a Granola Pot), desserts (Belgian dark Chocolate Pots, Pistachio Pots, and Vanilla Rice Pudding), cream and custard (Double Cre&m containing 30% coconut oil and Vanilla Custard), and drinks (Coconut Water in 330ml and 1L formats, 100% Coconut Cream, and Natural Kefir). All products are certified by the Vegan Society, palm-oil free, and positioned as dairy-free alternatives with no added sugar. The product range has reached 13 award-winning SKUs recognised by the Guild of Fine Food.
The company's core technology centres on traditional live-culture fermentation. Coconut milk and coconut water are fermented for over six hours using established dairy yoghurt cultures including S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium lactis, producing a thick, creamy texture without heavy stabilisers. Natural sweetness is achieved through coconut-water infusion rather than added sugar, and the 100% Coconut Cream SKU contains only coconut cream with no emulsifiers, stabilisers, or preservatives. Raw materials are sourced from Sri Lanka's Coconut Triangle (coconut cream) and Vietnam's Mekong Delta (coconut water), with all suppliers SEDEX members ensuring ethical labour and sourcing practices.
The business operates a consumer packaged goods (CPG) retail model. Products are sold through all major UK grocery chains including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado, ASDA, Morrisons, Co-op, and Booths, through a foodservice wholesale network spanning Brakes, Bookers, Suma, and additional distributors, and via Amazon. The Tesco Incubator Programme admission in 2018 was the catalyst for mainstream supermarket penetration. Pricing is set per retailer and product size and is not publicly disclosed. Target customers include health-conscious consumers, vegans and plant-based dieters, and UK mainstream grocery shoppers; secondary segments include foodservice operators. The company is registered in England and Wales (Registration No. 07471527) with offices in London, has raised approximately $8.79M across two funding rounds from GroundForce Capital in 2020 and 2024, and is led by CEO Meiky Tollman alongside founder/managing director James Averdieck. The site Terms & Conditions restrict operations to the United Kingdom.
The Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Collaborative
- Legal name
- The Coconut Collaborative Ltd
- Website
- https://coconutco.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Coconut Collab is a UK-based premium plant-based food brand producing coconut yogurts, desserts, cream, custard, and drinks, sold through all major UK grocery chains plus foodservice wholesale and Amazon, serving health-conscious consumers, vegans, and mainstream UK grocery shoppers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
- NAICS
- Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Foods (Deli Salads, Sandwiches, Meal Kits) (CRADACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plant-Based Milk & Creamer Processing (Oat, Soy, Almond, Coconut, Blends) (AFAHAJAA), Plant-Based Barista & Foodservice Formulations (Foaming/Steaming Milks, Culinary Creams) (AFAHAJAG), Non-Dairy Fermented Beverage Production (Coconut/Plant Kefir, Cultured Plant Drinks) (AFAFAHAF), Coconut Oil Processing (AFAKAEAD)
Keywords
Where The Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Food Products: Sale of coconut-based food products through major UK retail chains and wholesale distributors. Products include yoghurts, desserts, cream, custard, and coconut water sold as physical grocery items in supermarkets and via online grocery platforms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Collaborative operates as The Coconut Collaborative Ltd (The Coconut Collab), a UK-based food brand producing plant-based, dairy-free coconut food and beverage products. Its lineup includes coconut yoghurts, desserts, cream, custard, kefir, and coconut water, manufactured and sold primarily through UK grocery retail and foodservice channels under the coconutco.co.uk website.
Product overview
The Coconut Collab is a UK-based food company specializing in coconut-based dairy alternatives. The product portfolio consists of four main categories: (1) Coconut Yoghurts including Natural, Vanilla, Mango & Passion Fruit, Raspberry, Strawberry, Protein, Gut Health, and Granola Pot varieties; (2) Desserts including Choc Pots, Pistachio Pots, and Vanilla Rice Pudding; (3) Cre&m and Custard including Double Cre&m and Vanilla Custard; and (4) Drinks including Coconut Water, Coconut Cream, and Natural Kefir. All products are plant-based, vegan-certified, and free from palm oil. The company was founded in 2014 and sources coconuts ethically from Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coconut Yoghurt
- Coconut Desserts
- Coconut Cream
- Coconut Custard
- Coconut Kefir
- Coconut Water
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved 20 tonnes of plastic annually by removing yoghurt lids
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and flagship.
- TescocoreMajor UK retail partner stocking The Coconut Collab products in stores and online. Tesco was instrumental in The Coconut Collab's early growth through the Tesco Incubator Programme in 2018.
- Sainsbury'scoreMajor UK supermarket chain distributing The Coconut Collab coconut yoghurts, desserts, and cream products.
- WaitrosecoreUK premium supermarket retailer stocking The Coconut Collab products including yoghurts, desserts, and cream alternatives.
- OcadocoreOnline grocery retailer distributing The Coconut Collab products for home delivery across the UK.
- ASDAcoreMajor UK supermarket chain distributing The Coconut Collab coconut-based products.
- MorrisonscoreUK supermarket chain distributing The Coconut Collab products in stores and online.
- The Co-opcoreCo-operative supermarket chain distributing The Coconut Collab coconut-based products.
- BrakesmajorWholesale foodservice distributor enabling The Coconut Collab products to be available for restaurants, cafes, and catering businesses.
- BookersmajorWholesale distributor for foodservice operators distributing The Coconut Collab products.
- SumaminorWholesale partner distributing The Coconut Collab products to independent retailers and foodservice operators.
- Wimbledon ChampionshipsflagshipDouble Cre&m was selected as the official dairy-free cream served at Wimbledon Championships 2023, a prestigious recognition of product quality.
- SEDEXcoreAll coconut suppliers are SEDEX members, ensuring ethical supply chain practices, labour standards, health & safety, environment, and business ethics compliance.
- The Vegan SocietycoreThe Coconut Collab products are certified by The Vegan Society, validating their plant-based and vegan credentials.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coyo: Coyo is the most direct comparable — a coconut-based 'cream' style yogurt and dessert brand sold across UK and international premium grocery. It competes head-to-head with The Coconut Collab in the same coconut yogurt, dairy-free cream and dessert pots segments.
- Rude Health: Rude Health is a UK-based plant-based dairy-alternative brand (oat, almond, coconut, rice milks and yogurts) stocked in the same premium multiples (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado). Overlaps with The Coconut Collab in premium plant-based yogurt positioning and grocery channel.
- Koko Dairy Free: Koko Dairy Free is a UK plant-based dairy brand with a strong coconut heritage (coconut milk, yogurt, cream, milk). It competes with The Coconut Collab across coconut-based yogurts, creams and desserts in the same UK multiples.
Broad incumbents
- Alpro (Danone): Alpro is the leading plant-based dairy brand in Europe, with an extensive yogurt, cream and drink portfolio across all major UK grocers. While not coconut-specialist, it is the dominant incumbent against which The Coconut Collab competes for shelf space and shopper attention in the same category.
- Oatly: Oatly is the global plant-milk and yogurt category leader with deep UK grocery and foodservice penetration. It competes with The Coconut Collab for plant-based yogurt shelf and foodservice accounts, and defines the premium tier the coconut brand operates in.
- Califia Farms: Califia Farms is a US plant-based dairy-alternative brand with a broad portfolio including plant yogurts, creams and barista products. Comparable as a portfolio plant-dairy incumbent pushing into adjacent premium occasions the way The Coconut Collab is with Double Cre&m and Kefir.
Emerging players
- Cocojune: Cocojune is a US coconut yogurt brand built around simple, clean-label coconut fermented products. Useful comparable for premium positioning, live-culture coconut fermentation approach and direct-to-consumer-plus-retail GTM mirroring The Coconut Collab's premium UK playbook.
- Forager Project: Forager Project is a US plant-based yogurt and dairy-alternative brand spanning cashew, oat and coconut bases. Comparable to The Coconut Collab for its plant-yogurt focus, clean-label positioning, and multi-format retail distribution model.
- Minor Figures: Minor Figures is a UK plant-based barista brand (oat cream, oat milk) with strong foodservice penetration. Comparable to The Coconut Collab's foodservice aspirations (Brakes/Bookers) and Double Cre&m crossover into barista and premium hospitality use cases.
- Plenish: Plenish is a UK-based plant-based drinks and dairy-alternative brand stocked in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Ocado. Comparable to The Coconut Collab in premium health-and-sustainability positioning and overlapping UK grocery distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceThe Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Collaborative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Collaborative
What does The Collaborative do?
The Collaborative operates as The Coconut Collaborative Ltd (The Coconut Collab), a UK-based food brand producing plant-based, dairy-free coconut food and beverage products. Its lineup includes coconut yoghurts, desserts, cream, custard, kefir, and coconut water, manufactured and sold primarily through UK grocery retail and foodservice channels under the coconutco.co.uk website.
Is The Collaborative a public or private company?
The Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was The Collaborative founded?
The Collaborative was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Collaborative based?
The Collaborative is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Collaborative make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Food Products.
Who are The Collaborative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coyo, Rude Health and Koko Dairy Free. Broad incumbents are Alpro (Danone), Oatly and Califia Farms. Emerging players are Cocojune, Forager Project, Minor Figures and Plenish.
Does The Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Collaborative.
What industry is The Collaborative in?
The Collaborative's product category is Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADACAH, Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Foods (Deli Salads, Sandwiches, Meal Kits), with a secondary code of AFAHAJAA, Plant-Based Milk & Creamer Processing (Oat, Soy, Almond, Coconut, Blends). Its NAICS code is 3115 and its SIC code is 2020.