Where 2 buy: COCONUT oil

[aussiewonder]

Hi all,
I'm making my own granola and the recipe calls for coconut oil. Any idea where in the d/town Vancouver core I can get this? Or what I should look for?
TIA

[vancityfoody]

Donald's Market (Commercial/7th or Hastings/Nanaimo) has 8 different brands of coconut oil, and in all different sizes. The prices were quite reasonable too compared to Urban Fair/Choices etc.

[fmed]

I've been shopping at Thurga Trading (Sri Lankan supermarket) on Fraser and 45th recently on a tip. They have a number of brands of coconut oil for decent prices.

[L.C.]

Not sure if this helps at all in the slightest, but in Calgary they stock it at Community Natural Foods. Perhaps it's a chain?

[selena03]

I buy mine from choices in yaletown and have tried a few. My favourite is omega nutrition brand in a black plastic jar. We have been using it for 2 years-we have a dairy allergy in the family. I think it's between 11-13 ...I have never checked due to the necessity of having it. BTW it's organic.

[cleopatra999]

this is the least expensive place that I have found AND they have the kind that does not taste like coconut (important when frying eggs!). I use it often, raw and for cooking. I also use organic canola oil from planet organic, I think I might change to all coconut, due to the price. You order on line, but you have to spend $75 to get free shipping anywhere in Canada.
http://www.canadianvitaminshop.com/

[islandgirl]

Which is the brand that does not taste like coconut?

[vandan]

+1 on the no coconut flavor!

[thatwhileifound]

Look for anything "refined." Avoid extra virgin. The more heat applied, the less coconut-y flavor.

[_foodlove_]

Hey all!

Here's a little lesson on coconut oil...John, you said saturated fat is bad, but not as bad a trans fat. True, but only to a point. The saturated fat in coconut oil is exactly the saturated fat that you want to be consuming; it is a medium-chain triglyceride, which is quickly metabolized by the liver and NOT stored as fat. Coconut oil actually helps boost your metabolism, and is a very important component of a healthy diet! The saturated fat in meat/dairy products are less desirable because of the added cholesterol and as well, they are not medium chain triglycerides.

I have tried so many brands on the market and my favorites for cooking and/or baking are Bali Sun (available at Planet Organic and several other health food stores) and Nutiva (Planet O). Community natural foods do not carry these brands, FYI. The flavours of these two brands are superior to all others I've tried and price wise, Nutiva is very reasonable. Bali Sun will set you back a bit.

I'm a holistic nutritionist and I'm constantly learning how to incorporate healthy alternatives into a foodie-esque diet...coconut oil is one of the best recommendations I can make!

[John Manzo]

thanks for the clarification food love- but you also have to consider the monumental and disastrous effects of feeding ruminants corn (as has become the norm in 99.99999% of the beef cattle in the US- not so much in Canada, and thank God) and how that has impacted the fat they carry and the impact on those of us who eat beef. Grass-fed beef doesn't have the sort of dangerous fat that corn-fed does- and yes I'm just plagiarizing from The Omnivore's Dilemma here but it's an important issue.

[VanGrrl]

I found it so expensive downtown that I decided to go to the Indian Stores on Main Street. I found pure coconut oil for $4.99 (500 mL). Much better than the $10+ in the downtown stores (IGA and Urban Fare).

Punjab Food Centre
6635 Main Street

[Puffin3]

I would like to buy C.N. oil in five gallon pails. Does anyone know a place in Victoria that sells it?

[tman378]

Hi Puffin3 :)

I was wondering if you ever found a source to buy coconut oil in 5 gallon containers. I'm opening a cafe and will need to buy good and affordable coconut oil in bulk. I would appreciate it very much if you could share any information you've been able to find.

Thanks a bunch! (I'm in Vancouver area)

Tony

[thatwhileifound]

If you're doing the cafe thing, you should probably check around with whoever supplies you with other things. Snocap or similar may just have something akin to this in their lengthy listings. It might be hard to find on your own in those catalogs though...

I can't remember if either of the two big name natural distributors have a bulk size coconut oil, but you could always give them a call: Horizon or UNFI. In addition, you could give Omega Nutrition's BC office a call and see if they do any direct sales.

[tman378]

Thank you for the useful information! I've contacted all of them and none had coconut oil in bulk sizes available. But some of them, like Snowcap, have very wide selections of other products for food business. So now I have them on file as supply sources for future needs.

Thanks again!

[Puffin3]

We have bought 5 gallon containers at 'New Directions' Toronto. Being on the Island we found a source for 3 gallon containers at 'Richardson Foods in Nanimo The price is cheaper and they will arrange for you to met their delivery truck and pay COD as long as you're there on time. We met the truck at Duncan. Don't know if they deliver to Van. I doubt it. There's got to be a businesses in Van. Goggle up 'soap making supplies in Van. They will sell 'food safe' coconut oil '76.

[tman378]

Thank you Puffin3! By googling your suggested search terms, I came across Alpha Health Products here in Burnaby. Their website is bulkcoconutoil.ca ... Can't get any closer to what I need than that! :D

I have to go through some kind of verification process before I can get exact quotes on the products though. But that should not be a problem. It should be less expensive than ordering from the U.S. in any case. Shipping costs usually negate any advantage of lower prices.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond, Puffin!

[herbrick]

Richardsons food group in Nanaimo sells coconut and palm oil in 16 litre pails for the bakery industry. You could also try Sysco in Victoria

[aussiewonder]

Question CoconutOilGuy...I'm using the coconut oil for cooking (specifically, to drizzle over raw oats before baking it into homemade granola). Can I use almond oil? Is coconut oil typically expensive? I guess i'll trudge over to the capers tom and see what they've got. I didn't have time today to get to Planet Organic.

[Zydecopapa]

I thought saw it at the Spice Rack in Delbrent Mall, but am not 100% sure.

[cornstarch]

Meinhardts//

[fmed]

You can get Asian and Indian coconut oil at T&T (at the Stadium Skytrain)...I think I have seen some higher-end stuff at Capers.

[aussiewonder]

Yeah, no such luck @ T&T today but Sunrise had some. However, at 8.79 I decided to wait it out, now I'm on a mission to find coconut oil. Perhaps 8.79 is a fair price? I don't know, does anyone care to weigh in?

Also, I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm buying, i was expecting a liquid consistency but the stuff today was in a 'tub', like butter. So since I've not bought it before, thought that i'd at least like a 2nd brand to 'compare and contrast'.

I'm working in Coquitlam tomorrow, so will try to check out Planet Organic.

[fmed]

They didn't have it at T&T? Sorry about that. I was sure they had it - maybe in the Filipino aisle...(I shop at the Renfrew location).

It's solid like butter because it melts at slightly higher than room temp. You can get liquid oil though.

[John Manzo]

All good saturated fat is solid at room temp. Palm oil is the same- beautiful stuff.

Sat fat is bad but not remotely as dangerous as trans fat.

[1newyorkguy]

My reading tells me that coconut oil is much healthier to cook with than canola or olive due to the latter's oxidation at higher temps.