The Category Signal
Califia Farms is pushing deeper into coconut after Spins data through Sept. 6, 2026 (MULO+Natural, L52 weeks) shows coconut milk dollar sales up 17% year over year — with Califia accounting for 82% of that category growth. The brand is converting that momentum into a creamer play, launching two new SKUs under its Simple & Organic platform: Organic Vanilla Crème Coconut Creamer and Organic Toasted Coconut Creamer, both priced at $6.99 MSRP in 25.4-oz. bottles.
Both products are USDA Certified Organic, formulated without oils or gums, and positioned for dispensed-adjacent occasions — coffee, iced coffee, and matcha — that c-store operators increasingly stock premium creamers to serve. A third addition, Unsweetened Coconutmilk in a 48-oz. format at $5.69 MSRP, rounds out the coconut lineup as a lower-barrier entry targeting cooking and everyday coffee use, with a claim of 50% more calcium than dairy per cup.
Why Coconut, Why Now
Califia's chief marketing officer, Suzanne Ginestro, points to the format's versatility as the growth driver. "We saw the momentum start in cafes and we offered a product that consumers can easily use across multiple at-home occasions like matcha, overnight oats, coffee, and cooking," Ginestro said. The brand launched its Simple & Organic Coconutmilk in 2024; within roughly two years, coconut has become its highest-growth plant base.
For c-store buyers, that trajectory is worth watching. Plant-based creamers have become a reliable grab-and-go refrigerated add-on, particularly as foodservice-oriented chains expand self-serve coffee stations and loyalty-driven beverage programs. Coconut's creamy mouthfeel addresses a long-standing knock on oat and almond creamers in hot-beverage applications, and the clean-label positioning — simple ingredients, organic certification — aligns with the better-for-you trend that continues to reshape the refrigerated creamer set. According to NACS data, dispensed and packaged beverage categories remain among the highest inside-margin contributors across the channel.
Influencer Push and Retail Outlook
On the marketing side, Califia partnered with Samah Dada, founder of Dada Eats and a plant-based cookbook author, to produce recipe and lifestyle content built around the coconut portfolio. The campaign culminated in an invite-only supper club event in New York City on Oct. 6 that brought together press and tastemakers around a menu prepared using Califia coconut products. The influencer-to-retail pipeline is a familiar playbook in the better-for-you beverage space, where earned media from foodservice-adjacent events often precedes broader retail velocity gains.
For single-store operators and regional chains evaluating their refrigerated creamer sets, Califia's Spins numbers provide a credible category argument for adding coconut-forward SKUs alongside established oat and almond options. The $6.99 price point positions the new creamers at the premium end — comparable to other organic plant-based creamers — but within range of what c-store coffee shoppers increasingly spend on specialty beverage add-ons.
The brand's full coconut lineup is available through its store locator. For more on plant-based beverage trends shaping the channel, see C-Store News coverage of refrigerated beverage innovation and foodservice program development at convenience retail.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
