Mr. Coconut (business)

Mr. Coconut is a business which sells coconut drinks and desserts. It was founded by Andrew Cai, Lucas Lin and Vivian Yeo in 2016 and is known for its coconut shakes.

Initially operating under the name Xiang Yun from December 2015, the business sold a range of products, including coconut shakes, and accumulated large losses. It rebranded as Mr. Coconut in 2016, selling only coconut drinks. It experienced larger growth during the "circuit breaker" lockdown measures in the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021. it operated 50 outlets in Singapore.

History

Mr. Coconut was co-founded by Singaporeans Andrew Cai, Lucas Lin, and permanent resident Vivian Yeo. They did not have food and beverage experience; Cai was a employment agent, Lin was a real estate agent, and Yeo was an accountant. In December 2015, they had initially started operations of Xiang Yu at Far East Plaza, which sold gelato, and drinks like coconut shakes and bubble tea. Bubble tea was added to the menu to cater for the interest in bubble tea. They lost more than S$10,000 monthly, earning S$100 to S$200 daily, quoting high rental fees and people's preference for bubble tea. In 2016, they rebranded to Mr. Coconut as a last-ditch effort, and sold only coconut drinks, so people would know their niche. They were inspired by a trip to Malacca they had went to together, quoting the numerous roadside coconut shake shops, and seized the lack of a coconut shake market in Singapore.

In 2017, they opened a second outlet in Northpoint City, and none in 2018. Starting in 2019, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic's lockdown measures known as a "circuit breaker", from around 2020 to 2021, Mr. Coconut became more popular. On 11 November 2023, it opened a dine-in café called Three Little Coconut, at One Punggol. Also in November 2023, they collaborated with the Food Innovation and Resource Centre to create an automatic coconut opener, increasing their efficiency.

On 30 December 2023, Nutri-Grade labels were enforced, requiring the drinks to be graded from A to D corresponding to their sugar level and fat content. In response, Mr. Coconut replaced added sugar with stevia, created a series of "lite" drinks, and stopped offering D-graded drinks.

it operated 50 outlets in Singapore, from 30 in 2021.

Product

Mr. Coconut is a business selling drinks and desserts, focusing on coconuts. The coconuts used are mostly imported from Thailand. They sell coconut shakes which they are known for, juice, and "bubble coconut". Like bubble tea, they offer customisation of amount of sugar and add-ons. Mr. Coconut is found in places like shopping malls. They also sell desserts, such as tong shui, cheesecakes, and ice cream croffles at their dine-in café, Three Little Coconut.

Pregnant officer termination

On 17 January 2024, a female customer service officer was fired. According to her, in a viral Facebook post created on 18 January, Mr. Coconut had fired her after they found out she was pregnant. She also said that the termination was due to her poor performance and health condition. However, according to Mr. Coconut, she had still been on probation, and either party could terminate the contract with a 24-hour notice, which Mr. Coconut exercised. Mr. Coconut also did not know she was pregnant, quoting her heavy smoking, and had made the decision to fire her before she announced her pregnancy. According to her, she was recovering from COVID-19, resting during the lunch hour, but according to Mr. Coconut, she was watching movies openly during office hours. Both parties had gone for a mediation session arranged by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management. She sought S$53,000 from Mr. Coconut.

On February 8, Mr. Coconut released an investigation findings document on Facebook, which made most Singaporeans side with Mr. Coconut. According to Melissa Lee of Today, some Singaporeans thought that releasing a document was excessive.