Monkeys Are Why You Can’t Get Coconut Milk at Rochester Costco

This sounds like a joke, but it's 100% true. Costco in Rochester, Minnesota and all over stopped carrying coconut milk because of monkeys in Thailand.

Recently it's been reported coconut milk producers in Thailand were using monkeys to pick coconuts from trees. This wasn't a, "Hey, if you wanna pick coconuts from trees, come on down, we'll pay you with bananas and a queen size bed with memory foam!" situation. It appears to be a forced labor situation.

Maybe you know the brand Chaokoh...it's one of the biggest being accused. They say it's all a bunch of hooey.

In USA Today, the makers of that coconut milk, Theppadungporn Coconut Co. Ltd, said,

...it has audited coconut plantations using a third party and shared a copy of the 14-page “Monkey-Free Coconut Due Diligence Assessment.” The report says 64 farms out of 817 were randomly selected and "did not find the use of monkey for coconut harvesting."

"Following the recent news about the use of “monkey labour” in Thailand’s coconut industry, Chaokoh, one of the world’s leaders in coconut milk production, reassures that we do not engage the use of monkey labour in our coconut plantations..."

That response didn't stop Costco from pulling it from the shelves. Walgreens, too. So if you can't get your favorite coconut milk at Costco, Walgreens, and an increasing number of stores, now you know why.

Listen to James Rabe and Jessica Williams 6a to 10a on Y-105 FM's Early Morning Show.