Ice cream-maker Cecily Mills
CECILY Mills, 35, founded Coconuts Naturally in 2015 — the organic, vegan, coconut ice cream company. She lives with her husband Robert and their daughters, Lara, three and Hero, one. MY MOTHER was Guyanese, so we grew up with coconuts. She was an amazing cook and used to make delicious vegetarian curries.
Every other summer, we went to visit her family in Guyana. I have vivid memories of swimming at the beach, then rushing out to buy fresh coconuts from a man off his rickety cart. Bliss!
When I was 15, she died suddenly of bowel cancer. My life is divided into before and after this moment. I don’t think anything motivates you like the death of a parent.
After university, I did a retail management grad scheme with Marks & Spencer. Then, in 2013, I left to work in the Oliver Bonas head office. It was exhilarating, but exhausting. I was commuting to the city, leaving my house at 5am, using coffee to keep going all day.
At my lowest, a friend recommended I try going vegan to boost my energy. So I changed my diet to eat only raw, plant-based foods. I swapped my morning coffee for a homemade smoothie, using coconut cream, frozen fruit and raw cacao. It made such a difference.
At the time, you couldn’t buy any organic, vegan alternatives to ice cream. So I decided to make my own, by adapting and freezing my daily morning smoothies.
I remember the moment my husband and I tried it for the first time. It tasted velvety smooth, thick and creamy. The coconut cream behaved exactly like milk.
This was my lightbulb moment. I spent the next few weeks experimenting with recipes.
In January 2014 I quit my job. I had to raise €90,000 of investment for machinery and costs, so we rented out our flat and moved in with my father. Then I got pregnant with our eldest daughter.
I gave birth in January 2015, and worked a million miles an hour, with her on my back and no sleep, to get ready for our first trade show in April.
Fast-forward three years and we have six flavours and we’re sold in more than 100 independent stores, as well as some of the major supermarket chains.
We plan to expand to Hong Kong and Dubai in the near future. I hope my mum would love what I’ve done.
coconutsnaturally.com