At The Sugar Breakup we love to use many elements of the coconut in our cooking. From coconut flour to coconut oil, and water, it is incredibly diverse. But there’s more to this humble fruit of the coconut palm than just eating.

Coconuts are an important crop in many parts of the world, providing many goods, in addition to symbolical significance in the countries where they are traditionally grown.

You know by now that we enjoy coconut water, but that is hardly the only thing coconuts are good for. In fact, coconuts are incredibly versatile and – as a crop – very sustainable.

There is a use for virtually every part of a coconut and the tree in which it grows, including:

• Coconut wine and vinegar (produced from coconut water)
• Coconut oil – useful in many ways!
• Health and beauty products
• Bowls and utensils fashioned from coconut shells
• Rugs, rope and mattress stuffing (made from coconut husks)
• Brooms (made from coconut leaves)
• Furniture or entire houses built with coconut tree trunks!

You’ve got to love a plant that can essentially meet all of your basic needs by providing food, shelter and even fabric for clothing! While we probably won’t be building a coconut house anytime soon (or at least not until we retire to Hawaii), we have been making good use of coconut water in our favourite smoothies, as well as enjoying the subtle tastes of coconut and coconut oil in our chocolate crackle spiders.

You can join us in our coconut water love affair by entering our Facebook competition for a chance to win some Taste Nirvana Real Coconut Water and other delicious goodies! Entries close on Tuesday, so don’t delay!