CategoriesBranding Coconut Oil
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Why should you trust Cocoguru?

Some rumours spread in the local circuits that the food department had raided our oil mill, massive adulteration had been detected and we closed the matter by paying a hefty bribe. When whispered carefully, people believe it to be true. It is spread like wildfire when you say it is a secret and not to be told to anyone. The gossip carries more weight when it is that of a famous brand that people trust. Negative news attracts people and brings the haters together. Such rumours are good for us in a way, as the brand gets more entrenched in people’s minds. But few people believe this misinformation and we wish to clarify officially from our side.

Cocoguru brand has been built to benefit the farmers and consumers. It is successfully delivering quality coconut oil to consumers, who have been repaying their faith in us. The brand is growing stronger by the day, it is getting into newer territories, adding more products, and improving its quality. You don’t have to blindly believe us or the rumours, you may consider the following points before you form an opinion:

Premium product
Cocoguru brand is sold at a premium compared to other brands in the local market. So, cutting costs by adulteration is not necessary. It is not sustainable to sell at a premium by delivering inferior adulterated products.
Read more: cocoguru.com/yet-another-price-increase/

Brand
We believe in the power of the brand. We appreciate the fact that the brand as an asset is more valuable than all the physical assets like land, buildings, plant & machinery, saleable inventory, etc. So, every activity we do should be towards building and nurturing the brand. Adulteration or shortcuts are the quickest ways to kill it. Cocoguru brand is already 14 years old and is built to last. We are in it for the long term, not just for short-term profits.
Read more: cocoguru.com/adulteration-in-coconut-oil/

Consumer push instead of retailer push
Cocoguru products are sold because of demand by consumers at retail stores. In contrast to push by retailers for their benefit. To sustain this cycle, we should continue to satisfy and delight consumers rather than bribe retailers with better margins and payment terms.
Read more: cocoguru.com/how-do-we-set-mrp/

Sold at Super Markets and eCommerce portals
High-end quality-conscious consumers buy our products through modern trade supermarkets and various e-commerce portals. Our challenge is to stand their scrutiny of quality and standards. They don’t stress us on prices and hence there is no need for adulteration.
Read more: cocoguru.com/cocoguru-is-now-available-at-reliance-smart-stores/

User reviews
Don’t believe what we say, better to believe what other users have to say. In the days of social media and user-generated content, people are happy to review and recommend products based on their experience. Check the reviews and comments on social media platforms like Facebook & Instagram, and eCommerce portals like Amazon & Flipkart. At the Amazon portal, 1000s of consumers buy coconut oil from us every month, and almost 3000 consumers have reviewed the products with a 4.3 to 4.4-star average rating. Check our standings in the best sellers rank for coconut oil, it is in the top 20 list and among the top 8 brands in the country.

fssai random checks
Food Safety department conducts random tests of food products from the market. They don’t inform us, they test for the quality at the CFTRI laboratory and take actions based on their report. This way fssai is supposed to ensure that the food product consumers buy from the market is safe. Our products have been picked and tested at Kasaragod, Udupi, Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu and are safe every time. Yes, the department officials take bribes from brands and restrain them from taking action against brands if they get satisfactory amounts from them. However, Kerala’s food department is very strict with coconut oil as it is their staple edible oil. They have listed a widely sold coconut oil from Karnataka as adulterated.
Read more: indiafilings.com/learn/fssai-food-testing-procedure/

Laboratory testing
If you are not convinced, take a random sample yourself and test it against the parameters listed by BIS for coconut oil at any laboratory and find the results for yourselves. The test parameters and the results we obtained are here.

Full accounting and Invoicing
All the transactions carried out at Cocoguru are accounted for and audited by multiple government revenue departments like Income Tax, GST, APMC, Labour, Factories, Food, etc. All the transactions carry a legal Invoice or document. So, they can be traced and scrutinized.
Read more: cocoguru.com/statutory-info/

Transparency and Information
We believe in transparency and all the information is easily available to anyone who seeks it. We don’t fear competitors copying the ideas as that alone won’t give them the success that we have achieved. Our website is highly informative and detailed, our social media pages are continuously updated and informative. Only when we are confident of our activities, and it is good for the consumers do we share our information.

Factory Visit
We work from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm from Monday to Saturday. Anyone interested is welcome to visit the oil mill. No need to inform us, just randomly visit. Randomness of visits gives us no scope for any special “preparation”, Experience the cleanliness, methodical process, quality of raw materials and finished products. Ask us if you have any queries about the products and processes, and we will be happy to answer them whether you buy the product or not.
Read more: cocoguru.com/infrastructure/

CategoriesCoconut Oil
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5 Common Myths about Roasted Coconut Oil

Cocoguru has been the pioneers and the only brand to make roasted coconut oil for cooking in coastal Karnataka region. Marketing it is very risky because of several myths that the consumers have about it.


All micronutrients are destroyed during roasting
Oil millers who can’t invest in equipment for roasting and take the risk of marketing it, just mislead consumers. They claim that their oil has all the micronutrients like vitamins remain in tact. Fact is that coconut oil is 100% fat, with no micronutrients. If at all they are there in traces, they are retained even after roasting. Nobody consumes coconut oil for its vitamins, it is for its fat.
Roasting of copra is not a process that completely destroys the properties of coconut oil, it is a small process that only enhances the fragrance and taste of coconut oil.
People also confuse roasting with refining. Refining is a highly complex process that people think of but roasting is a small process like drying of copra.

Colour of oil is yellow and hence it is inferior
Oil extracted from copra that has gone bad will be of darker colour. Oil extracted from copra after roasting is also darker or yellow in colour. But they cannot be equated. The point is discussed in detail in this post. Why is Cocoguru coconut oil yellow in colour? English metaphor “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is appropriate here. Smell it and experience it completely before judging the oil.

It is not suitable for cooking, suitable only for hair
It is an edible oil, highly recommended for cooking. In addition to normal cold-pressed coconut oil, roasted coconut oil also adds to the flavour, aroma and taste. The whole kitchen and dining will be scented with divine coconut flavour. Heating food items moderately is not bad, in fact it is good and sometimes essential. Rice has to be cooked with steam, chapathi has to be roasted before eating. We never say rice or wheat has lost its quality in the process.

It is not naturally possible to have such sweet aroma and taste, it must be perfumed
I have heard these objections many times by retailers, I show them by drinking a few drops of oil to convince them. Sweet aroma and taste are emitted after the roasting of copra pieces. Experience the difference between raw ground nuts and roasted ground nuts. The more you heat tea leaves, the more aroma and flavour it emanates.

Shelf life is high because of the use of preservatives
Roasting of copra dries out any moisture still left in copra. Moisture causes rancidity in oil. This is the reason cold-pressed oils and wood-pressed oils go rancid fast as they contain too much moisture. Heating also sterilises the bacteria and fungus in copra. So, shelf life is enhanced without adding any preservatives.

CategoriesEmployees
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Narayana Bhat retires

Mr. Narayana Bhat was working with us as a Production Supervisor and has retired from service on 31st August 2023. This is an event worth writing about as it comes with mixed emotions, pride and voidness.

He joined Cocoguru almost 10 years back on February 2014. He was referred by Keshava Ram’s classmate Shivashankar Shastry, his brother-in-law. He travels 40 kms everyday from Kanyana to work. He worked in various departments like Stores, Logistics, Purchase, Oil Extraction, Canteen, Campus etc. His notable contributions have been

  • Developing and maintaining a beautiful green campus by planting 150 trees and conserving water
  • Major changes in company logistics, selling old vehicles
  • Implementing commission/piece work based payments to labours
  • Getting work done efficiently from people yet having fun doing them
  • Organising events like Independence Day, birthday celebrations, Ayudha Pooje and Deepavali
  • Maintaining cordial relations with land neighbours and Karpadi temple management
  • He helped maintain a very jovial and productive work environment all through out.

He will be 57 years old in about 15 days. His son completed Mechanical Engineering from Nitte and got placed at a private firm at Bengaluru. He announced his decision to retire during his last birthday celebration on 23rd September 2022, and he was waiting for his son Ashlesha to start working. He likes to improve and expand present arecanut farm, build his dream house as the old house is not in good condition. And ultimately lead a happy and peaceful life in village with his dear wife Mrs. Uma and pet animals.

Company is proud to have an employee work with them for almost 10 years and leave them only for an unavoidable reason like retirement. Many people leave for better prospects or when they are not happy working there. But it is difficult to replace him with someone who can do all the jobs with a can do attitude. It is an aspect of nature, and we need to move on.

Narayan Bhat retires 01

We had organised a small event on closing hours of 31st August to honour him and celebrate his contributions for us. Many employees who worked closely with him spoke eulogies of him. Murali (Operations Head) is his direct boss, Keshava Ram (Managing Director), Naresh Kumar (Sales Manager), Shiva Kumar (Finance Manager), Suprabha (Brand Manager), Karthik Rai (Financial Accountant), Shreekrishna Shastry (Public Relations Officer), Jagganath (Expeller Operator) and Shivashankar Bhat (Chairman) all spoke for a couple of minutes with their heartfelt messages and wished well for his retired life. Narayana Bhat likes to be jovial with ladies, and they were all emotional when they realised that he will not be working with them from next day. He was honoured with his wife Mrs. Uma by Shivashankar Bhat. He also spoke briefly with usual humour and ended with a small Kannada poem. A cupboard was given to him as a complement as he is building a new house. Event ended with dinner supplied from Cocoguru Adigemane. People whom he was leading were looking up to him to guide him for work even after his working hours.

All of us at Cocoguru, like to thank him for his contributions to us and wish him a happy retired life with his family.

CategoriesEmployees
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Food expenses to be excluded from Employees CTC

Cocoguru Team
Renovated Canteen

Company runs an in-house canteen to provide fresh and hygienically prepared food to its employees 3 times a day during working hours. However, the cost of serving food was budgeted and included in an employee’s CTC. Actual expenses were deducted while paying monthly salary. To employees working in the sales team i.e. working on the field, food budget was included in their CTC.

Now, starting December 2021, the company has decided to bear the food cost and not include it in employees CTC. Permanent sales employees will be given a daily allowance. This is good news to employees as their take home component increases.

Why was food expense part of CTC?

Initially, employees were always dissatisfied with the perks offered. They unfairly compared with that of other firms locally and complained. They did not realise the non-cash benefits the company offered like ESI, PF, food at canteen, paid leaves etc. They only compared the take home component, with other firms who didn’t offer any benefits but only cash. Management tried to convince, but employees refused to acknowledge.

Initially, food at the canteen was free and was not included in CTC. Then, employees had issues with the quality of food given. They wasted food carelessly.

To sincerely take care of employees, management used to conduct employee satisfaction surveys to understand what aspects can be improved in its employee engagement. Employees only had negatives, all the positives done were simply taken for granted.

A few employees couldn’t wait till the month could end and wanted payments in advance. While the company itself had taken a huge loan to fund the project and working capital.

It was difficult to satisfy employees and smoothly carry out operations. Management thought enough was enough. Let us do our best and not care about whether it would please the employees. And the following employee policy decisions were taken.

  • All the benefits given would be quantified and included in CTC
  • No salary advance
  • No employee satisfaction surveys
  • Salary revision only after annual appraisal
  • No scope for salary negotiation at all, if you are satisfied stay else quit

Few employees stayed, and got new employees to join with these terms. As employees stayed and performed, policies were made liberal.

  • Start time changed from 8:30 am to 9:00 to reduce working hours by 30 minutes
  • Festival holidays 10 days in a year given company wide was excluded from CTC
  • 1 hour time given in the afternoon to allow employees to attend functions once in a while
  • Though ESI share fell from 6.75% to 4%, CTC was not changed, so take home component increased
  • Compensation given above market standards
  • Though CTC was increased by a certain % every year, the food budget remained constant for the last 7-8 years.
  • Bonus on profitability, given extra every 6 months

Now, we have many employees who are working with us for more than 7 years, are performing well and are taking ownership. So, we will further liberate the policies.

CategoriesEmployees Sales
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How employees of earlier generation worked

Mahalingeshwara Bhat
Mahalingeshwara Bhat with Cocoguru Team

Couple of days back, our Sales officer from Udupi quit within 2 weeks of joining. Because working for 8 hours a day was not feasible for him. And today, I met Mr. Mahalingeshwara Bhat, Area Sales Manager at Jyothy Labs Ltd at Mangaluru market. He narrated his story and this inspired me to write this post. We met for hardly 5 minutes, still his experience had a lot of wisdom for me.

He is now 55, past the retirement age at his company. He has maintained fitness levels to work in the market after traveling for an hour from Puttur. Working in the market, walking, talking is physically very demanding.

Jyothy Labs may be a billion dollar revenue blue chip company now, but when he joined way back in 1990, it was a small company. He is financially well off now, but at the time of joining his salary was 1,000 per month. His father was a small time cook. He and his company stuck to each other and grew together.

He worked for 32+ years and carried the brand he worked wherever he went. His friends used to call him Ujala Bhatru. He feels proud about it. Employees of these days, feel ashamed to wear work uniforms outside work and they don’t like to associate them with the company/brand outside.

He was assigned with the responsibility to set up the market at Gujarath in early 2000. That is recruit and train sales staff, appoint super stockists and distributors. It is very far from his native place, hardly gets to travel back and meet family. He didn’t even see his newly born son for a couple of months. Still he is happy about the opportunity and responsibility the company has given him. It took him figuratively and literally to places. These days employees consider is outside their scope to travel beyond their office place.

During 2002 Gujarath riots, he was locked at a lodging for 3 days without any food and then the lodging owner provided food prepared at his home. He didn’t get angry with the company for the situation he was in. He understood that it was a external situation that was beyond his or company’s control.

He has grown slowly and steadily within the company and is content about it. Being content with what we have is the real recipe for happiness. He must have seen people much younger to him, with Engineering or MBA degrees from premier institutes getting into higher positions or drawing higher salaries. He must have seen colleagues jumping across companies and getting short term growths. He must have seen various types of bosses during his long career.

He still has the gratitude for the company for providing his daily bread and all the progress he has made in his life. Through he is very right if he thinks, he got his bread for the effort he has put into company’s business.

Though we cannot expect the present generation of employees to work like earlier generation, it is worthwhile to observe how it was earlier.

Disclosure –
Murali M, Operations Head is his wife’s younger brother.
Tharanatha S, ASM was reporting to him 10 years back while he was working at Jyothy.