Foodie Find: GoldenStar Coconut Milk

It's a common complaint in the Primal/Paleo world that you can't find coconut milk without additives- usually guar gum. It was just one of those things, if you want coconut milk bad enough you either suck it up and accept the guar gum, or make your own. Even the expensive organic brands add guar gum. Such a pity.

A few weeks back word began to spread about this miraculous new coconut milk that is just that, with nothing extra. Could this be true!? Surely it can't be, and if it can, it must be hard to find and expensive!

NOPE.

Get this... GoldenStar Coconut Milk. 

It contains 2 ingredients. Coconut milk and water. That's it.

Amazing, huh?

And get this... you can find it at none other than WALMART! For $1.29 a can! No joke.

Now, I'm not typically a Walmart shopper. Truth be told I get irritated just pulling into the parking lot, and my aggravation typically builds as I enter the building. However, if they offer a better can of coconut milk for a better price, I'll make the trip. Oh the things I'll do for food.

I was curious about the company, so I looked them up online. I certainly wasn't looking for Tropical Traditions quality coconut products (being that it's sold at Walmart) and indeed I didn't exactly find it. But that's okay.

According to the Golden Star Trading Inc. website they were founded in California in 1985. Yes, they have ties to Kellogg's and really they say fairly little on their "about us" page.

I guess for what it's worth, I could pay more for a certified "Organic" brand with added guar gum, or pay less for a conventional additive-free brand. I opted for the latter. The key deciding factor?

It tastes better.

Yup, it definitely tastes better. More coconut per serving perhaps? I don't know, but I like it. One neat thing was opening a can, and instead of separated coconut "stuff" and oil, it was just a thick, gloppy cream. The texture reminded me of slightly melted ice cream. It was addictive and wonderful!

Until Tropical Traditions makes canned coconut milk, I'm sticking with Morning Star. Even if it means the occasional excursion to Wally World.

UPDATE: I received an e-mail today from a woman named Anita Long from Golden Star Trading Company. She was happy to see that I was sharing their product on my blog and told me some really great stuff about their company.

"So you know Golden Star is a family run business that started in 1985 with Jasmine rice. Since then, we have expanded our line to include all kinds of rice (Calrose, Basmati, Long Grain), canned fruits & vegetables and Asian items like Coconut Milk. All of our items are all natural and packed at harvest season. We are a firm believer that as a family feeding other families we must put the very best out there." (I especially like this last bit.)
 

I'm proud to be using Golden Star's products and have decided to make it the official coconut milk of The Wilderness Childe blog. Now whenever you see a recipe calling for coconut milk, you can be sure it was Golden Star that I used.

I will be receiving some goodies from Golden Star to try out soon, so check back to see what other great products they have to offer and how I use them!