A spoonful of good vibrations with Mãe

Inspired by the natural goodness of mother nature and driven to make an honest product for a healthier future, two friends found their niche in coconuts.

Umdloti-based financial manager Jamie Whitson and cameraman Mathew Gardner found the perfect recipe to a dairy-free, organic yoghurt and called it Mãe (mother in Portuguese).

“We went on holiday to northern Mozambique about three years ago and there were so many coconuts and it was so good and the people were so nice.

“We just knew we wanted to do something with the coconuts and give back to the people,” said Whitson.

The idea came to life when Gardner took a year off from the crazy world of international film making and escaped to Mozambique to breath, get back to nature and coconuts.

“I started playing with coconuts. It was not easy at first. Opening a coconut and getting the meat out is no joke! I started experimenting with coconut milk and cultured it into yoghurt. I made terrible yogurt for the first six months and figured out all the ways how not to do it,” chuckled Gardner.

Whitson joined in the mission and after hours and hours of Google research and countless attempts, they got it right. The result was a beautifully creamy, natural, dairy-free yogurt made with love.

“We create two different yoghurts – Calm and Creamy which is more coconutty and Traditional and Tart – a Greek style yogurt. To make a bottle of yoghurt, we use two and a half coconuts and a lot of effort to create this high ‘vibrational’ food.”

Knowing that they want to create a product that is environmentally friendly, sustainable and not wasteful, they even found a use for the coconut shells.

“We have started cleaning up the shells and planting plants into them. We can also sand them nicely and use them as bowls. Our mission is to create plant-based products which are as creamy and delicious as what we have become accustomed to, with sustainability and fair trade at heart.”

Back in Umldoti now, the two guys said they are passionate about following a clean, healthy lifestyle and believe Mãe is a step in the right direction according to Gardner.

“We both cut out dairy from our diets after researching what the industry does to our planet and we really believe this is a better option for you. We feel better and once we started seeing the results of eating more consciously, we started gravitating to more nutritious options. It is empowering to know what you are putting into your body.”

To get your glass jar of mother nature’s best, follow them on Instagram @mae_de_coco

Be the first to receive breaking news straight to your device with our newly launched push notifications! Simply visit our website and click on the icon shown above.

Do you want to receive news alerts from The North Coast Courier via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram