Review of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

32 ounce bottle of tropical traditions gold label virgin coconut oil

Tropical Traditions coconut oil was one of the first virgin coconut oils to be exported to the United States from the Philippines.

The founder of Tropical Traditions (Brian Shilhavy) discovered the health benefits of coconut oils after moving to live in the Philippines with his wife, Marianita.

At the time, many of the coconut oil products available in North America were made from highly-refined oils. These coconut oils were subjected to high amounts of heat, bleaching and deodorizing.

While this type of processing method can produce large quantities of coconut oil, the nutritional content can be degraded due to the high amounts of heat exposure and chemical processing.

The coconut oil made for Tropical Traditions follow the tradition method of making coconut oil – fresh raw coconut meat is cold-pressed to produce the milk which is then mixed with natural enzymes to produce a very clean and natural coconut oil that still retains all of its natural ingredients.

Brian believed that these types of coconut oils made by traditional methods were superior to the modern products found in stores. It was at this point that the company began to import Tropical Traditions coconut oils into the USA from the Philippines.

Tropical Traditions is now available in 3 different  ‘grades’ of coconut oil. The main differences between the products is how oils are processed and the type of coconuts used to make the oil.

Here’s more detailed information on the product line.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Product Line:

1. Gold Label Certified Organic

  • This is the company’s premium unrefined virgin coconut oil. It’s hand-made and processed without using heat, chemicals or solvents.
  • Only freshly picked coconuts are used within 24 – 48 hours. The plant meat is shredded by a wet mill and then cold-pressed using the water from inside the coconut. The milk is then allowed to sit for about 1/2 days to allow the oil to separate. The oil is then filtered and bottled.
  • Tropical Traditions claims the oil contains some of the highest antioxidants and they offer test results on their website.
  • This oil is certified organic, according to USDA standards, and produced following GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices).

2. Tropical Traditions Green Label Organic

  • The Green Label is machine-made using certified fresh organic coconuts that are first dried and cold-pressed by a machine.
  • The main difference between the Gold and Green labels is how soon the coconuts are pressed after harvesting. The Gold label uses coconuts within 24 – 28 hours after being picked and the Green label uses fresh coconuts that are a little older.
  • The company claims they don’t use copra; a coconut meat that’s been left to dry out in the sun for days which may destroy much of the fresh nutrients.
  • No heat, chemicals or solvents are used to make the Green Label oils. The slightly-dried coconut meat is cold-pressed by machine to extract the oil and it’s certified organic, according to USDA standards.

3. Tropical Traditions Expeller-pressed Oils

  • This is a high quality refined product and cannot be considered a ‘virgin’ oil. You should consider the Green or Gold Label products for true virgin oils.
  • Comes in organic and non-organic, depending on what type of coconuts are used. The non-organic line costs less because you don’t have to pay for the organic certification.
  • These oils go through a steam deodorizing and heat process. These steps usually remove most of the taste and scent of coconuts from the oil.
  • Tropical Traditions claims this product line is one of their most economical and they recommend it to people who don’t want to spend a lot for virgin coconut oils. They claim these non-hydrogenated oils contain high amounts of lauric acid.

How Much Does Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Cost?

The following are Suggested Retail Prices for the Tropical Traditions Gold Label coconut oil.

Our review found that the Green Label and Expeller-pressed oils cost slightly less than the Gold Label brand.

Only the Gold Label prices are listed below:

Suggested Retail Cost per Size
SizeCostCost Per Ounce
16 oz$19.95
$1.25
32 oz$27.50
86 cents
64 oz$52.50
82 cents
1 Gallon (128 oz)$70.00
55 cents
5 Gallon (640 oz)$230.00
36 cents

When compared to other competing coconut oils, we found Tropical Traditions was about equal in cost per ounce to Dr. Mercola’s Fresh Shores Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and a few cents more than Nutiva Coconut Oil.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil Taste Test

scooping a spoonful of tropical traditions coconut oil out of an open jar

This review will focus only on the Gold Label product line.

We found the oils had a nice clean coconut scent with a smooth and silky texture. We found a neat recipe for mixing a spoonful of coconut oil into our morning coffee and found we really liked the taste and texture of our coffee.

We also tried using this oil as an after-shower skin moisturizer and found the oils absorbed quickly and left the skin feeling very soft, smooth and moisturized.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to get this product line at your local health food store or organic food store.

You can also order directly from the company website. They have a U.S. distributor in Nevada and also distributors located in Canada, Europe and Australia.

Search for more Tropical Traditions Coconut Oils at Amazon.com


 

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