The Halifax creator of traditionally-fermented organic coconut milk is experiencing new overseas sales during the pandemic.

Linda Peers, founder of The Cultured Coconut, sent her first shipments to China in March, as well as other international orders to the UK, Ireland and Portugal.

In addition, monthly sales were up 23% in March compared to February, something that Peers was surprised to see.

“We expected sales to be down given all that’s going on and stores being closed or hard to get to,” says Peers. “It’s been incredible to see how many people have been inquiring about the product.”

Peers makes it clear there are no medical claims on her kefir, but she suspects the growing interest in the connection between the immune system and overall health has been fueling the product’s demand during COVID-19.

Peers also credits her very loyal and passionate customers.

“The order to China is a direct result of a customer here in Canada wanting to get the product to her family in China.”

Founded in 2015, loyal and passionate customers have been a key factor in the company’s growth.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have customers tell us how their lives have been changed by the product,” says Peers. “But they don’t just tell us. They tell their friends, and it’s grown organically from there.”

Peers developed her kefir when she couldn’t find a suitable non-dairy substitute. Kefir is a fermented dairy product consumed throughout history for its health benefits. Its key active component are healthy bacteria known as probiotics. Peers went to great lengths to use traditionally-fermented grains to ensure a high quality and authentic product that would deliver optimal probiotic benefit.

In 2018, Natural Products Canada helped Peers find one of the leading laboratories to analyze her product for active probiotics. Teagasc in Cork, Ireland, confirmed that The Cultured Coconut has over 4 trillion Colony Forming Units (CFU) and a high number of active strains in just one tablespoon. This is in comparison to other mass-produced versions, which are in the 2 million range with only 2-3 active strains.

“Customers tell us about benefits in areas you’d expect like indigestion and other stomach ailments,” says Peers. “But also in improvements in inflammation, yeast infections, skin and hair, and even mental health.”

There is a growing field of study around the health benefits of probiotics that support the things Peers’ customers are saying, which she’s grateful to see.

“The last thing I want is for people to spend their money on something that isn’t helpful,” says Peers. “Especially now. I can’t tell you how happy it makes everyone on our team to know that our products are making a difference to our customers amidst all that is going on.”