Coconut Cult Builds Capacity Without Losing Culture

As demand grew, Coconut Cult turned to robotics to scale production without sacrificing the people, values, and product quality that built its brand.

A Mission Built on Better Gut Health

When Coconut Cult co-founder Noah Simon-Waddell began struggling with severe inflammatory gut issues, conventional treatments failed him. He cycled through medication after medication, a collapsed lung, and bouts with depression before finding the right solution.

“Noah got really, really sick,” explains Justin Oleesky, Coconut Cult’s chief operating officer. “Ultimately, he did a deep dive into gut health and concluded that food is medicine.”

Like many people, Simon-Waddell grew up listening to grown-ups tell him that yogurt was good for a stomachache. As a kid, he didn’t know that the living, friendly bacteria in yogurt led to better digestive health. Armed with what he learned as an adult, he realized that good bacteria had a name: “probiotics,” and he went looking for it. Yet the products available in the dairy aisle of his local supermarkets weren't delivering the results he needed to feel better. Determined to find an alternative that worked, he began experimenting in his mom’s kitchen in California to create a highly fermented probiotic coconut yogurt.

Simon-Waddell found that his homemade coconut yogurt packed with lots of probiotics improved his health. Encouraged by family and friends, he began selling the product at local farmers’ markets so others could enjoy the same health benefits. At the markets, he gained a bit of a cult following and met company co-founders.

Coconut Cult's probiotic coconut yogurt is crafted with premium ingredients and live cultures, delivering a flavorful product that has helped fuel the company's rapid growth.

From Homemade Yogurt to National Demand

Inspired by the yogurt’s food-as-medicine philosophy, the following grew. Today, Coconut Cult is a rapidly expanding yogurt brand known for an honest approach to gut health.

As demand accelerated, Coconut Cult faced a new challenge: how to keep the company culture intact while increasing production capacity.

“Our product is personal and so is our company,” says Oleesky. “I don’t want anyone to feel like they are just a number.”

To keep the culture and grow the company, Coconut Cult partnered with Integrated Packaging Machinery (IPM) to implement its first robotic automation system, featuring three custom hot-pink KUKA robots at the company's manufacturing facility in Utah.

The integrated robotic packaging system supports Coconut Cult's expansion by increasing capacity while preserving product quality and operational flexibility.

Scaling Without Sacrificing Culture

As Coconut Cult expanded from regional retailers into national distribution, the company remained committed to self-manufacturing rather than outsourcing, which allowed it to maintain strict control over product quality and the entire fermentation process.

At the same time, they wanted to avoid creating an environment where growth came at the expense of their employees’ wellbeing.

"Coconut Cult is not a corporate company," Oleesky emphasizes. “We want people to walk by our office to stop in and fill us in on what they’re doing this weekend outside of work. That’s what being ‘cult’ is all about.”

The company's new facility represents the next chapter of Coconut Cult's growth, creating capacity for expanded manufacturing while supporting its rapidly growing team.

Taking a Solution-First Approach

For Daniel Schimmel, account executive at IPM, Coconut Cult’s objective was clear.

“We had to take some stress off the workforce,” Schimmel says, “Justin wanted to be sure people could still play to their strengths as the company increased production.”

As a neutral systems integrator, IPM evaluates technologies based on application requirements rather than allegiance to a specific equipment supplier.

A KR QUANTEC robot equipped with a custom vacuum end effector performs full-layer palletizing to maximize throughput and consistency.

"Justin came to us with a target production rate and a vision for how they wanted to operate," Schimmel said. "From there, we built the solution around the application. For Coconut Cult, the best fit was KUKA Robotics."

The evaluation led to the selection of three KUKA robots: two KR IONTEC robots and one KR QUANTEC robot integrated into the end-of-line packaging process. The KUKA robotic system automates layer formation and palletizing operations. Two robots utilize KUKA.ConveyorTech software to organize and build product layers, while a third robot equipped with KUKA.FlexPal technology performs full-layer palletizing.

Beyond detailed payload and reach calculations, IPM cited KUKA's software, safety functionality and previous deployment success as factors influencing the decision.

"Our control engineers’ input on KUKA technology was vital to confirming that it was the right fit for what Justin wanted to achieve for everyone at Coconut Cult," Schimmel points out. "Their software is intuitive and most of all the safety tools give us complete confidence that we're taking care of the people who work alongside the robotic arms and cells."

Two KR IONTEC robots collate individual cartons while a KR QUANTEC robot palletizes completed layers, creating a fully integrated end-of-line automation solution.

Overhead perspective of the robotic workcell illustrates the coordinated flow of cartons from collation to palletizing.

Automate the Work, Elevate the Workforce

While automation projects are often evaluated primarily through productivity metrics, Coconut Cult viewed the investment through a broader lens. The company currently employs approximately 100 people at its Utah facility and wanted automation to support the passion and pride Coconut Cult puts into their work.

"If you're working here, it's because you're wanted here," Oleesky points out.

A custom end effector palletizes product layers with speed and precision.

The robotic system was added to eliminate repetitive, physically demanding tasks. It gives employees time and energy to focus on higher-value responsibilities, like superior quality and new flavor combinations.

"The automated line should take on the heavy lifts," Schimmel reiterates. "The line should be the workhorse, not the employees."

Aligned closely with Coconut Cult's vision for its people and growth, IPM and KUKA allowed the company to become a highly automated operation with meaningful human involvement.

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Two KR IONTEC robots coordinate carton collation, preparing product layers for seamless palletizing downstream.

More Capacity, Same Purpose

The robotic automation system is part of Coconut Cult's larger expansion into a new 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Utah. With the new facility and automated packaging line, Coconut Cult expects to significantly expand its manufacturing capacity while maintaining product quality, operational flexibility, and company culture.

The company produces core flavors available in eight and 16-ounce glass jars, along with newer four-ounce jars (launched in January 2026) across the U.S., and regularly introduces limited-edition offerings for its subscriber community. KUKA’s automated system provides the scalability necessary to support ongoing demand while creating room for future product innovation.

According to Oleesky, the new operation is designed to support approximately five times the company's current production requirements to position Coconut Cult for future retail expansion and new product introductions.

The robotic collation system accurately positions cartons for high-speed layer formation while maintaining product integrity.

The KR QUANTEC robot performs full-layer palletizing, improving throughput while reducing the physical demands of manual pallet building.

"Coconut Cult lovers living on the East Coast to the Midwest to the Southeast and wherever else in the U.S. will be able to find our product in more places, and we get the flexibility to continue creating new products and new experiences," Oleesky enthused.

He went on to promise that the company will remain probiotic and gut health-centered.

“The first thing for us is very high, potent probiotic strains,” he adds.

An overhead view highlights the coordinated movement of three KUKA robots working together to automate end-of-line packaging.

A Healthy Future

For Coconut Cult, automation was about preserving its company culture and commitment to the belief that food is medicine, while building the foundation for its next phase of growth.

It is only a coincidence that probiotics and robotics almost rhyme, but both offer a true gut check. For a company that continues to expand its product offerings and retail footprint, the KUKA robotic system provides a healthy foundation for the future. One designed to embrace and protect the human element of business.