During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Suvikarn and his wife perfected their burnt basque cheesecake recipe, gifting it to neighbors until demand grew so strong that friends insisted on paying. What started as a side-project quickly evolved: Suvikarn left his job and together they built Coconut & Moo Moo into a micro-enterprise with 3.5 employees. Based in Bray, Ireland, the gluten-free dessert shop and bakery now supplies local markets, cafés, wholesale partners, and ships directly to customers
The brand stands apart for its gluten-free ethos of making desserts accessible to more people, and its philosophy that “desserts bring people together.” Quality and innovation drive the business, providing craveable seasonal flavors and constantly experimenting with new products at the farmers’ market before scaling items to retail.
Digital Across the Board
Digital payments power Coconut & Moo Moo’s entire payment ecosystem. Square, the digital payments platform used by the bakery, also has integrated tracking. Every sale, whether via card, link, or cash, is logged in the system for consistent reporting and ease for the staff. This also informs real time insights given to Suvikarn through sales data, which helps them to forecast production needs and minimize waste.
Suvikarn has embraced the digital system, which he finds quick, fast, and reliable. The technology allows Suvikarn to accept a variety of payments, from in-person tap and card payments to phone orders and WhatsApp payment links. The ability to take different payment types gives customers the flexibility and convenience they value, and the secure online platform increases trust when ordering online.
Although the production kitchen isn’t a retail shop, a Square terminal has also enabled walk-in customers to make a purchase on the spot. This flexibility makes customers more accessible to Suvikarn, and gluten free treats accessible to more people.
More broadly, the company uses Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Tiktok and X to stay in touch with customers and promote its brand and relies on Square, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard and American Express to instill trust and facilitate rapid payments.
Challenges and Opportunities
Coconut & Moo Moo is preparing for the next phase of growth. They have newly expanded their kitchen and are scaling production, including a new line of granola as its first nationwide product. They hope to bring their granolas, and soon their cheesecakes and other treats, to homes across Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Logistics are a challenge for Coconut & Moo Moo as they look to expand. To sell outside of the Dublin area, their cheesecakes need to be frozen to ensure freshness upon arrival, but shipping frozen foods requires complex and expensive infrastructure. For SMEs, this logistic infrastructure is a barrier to expansion. Furthermore, small suppliers are disadvantaged when trying to supply supermarkets, which demand goods up-front but delay payment. Policies on unfair trading practices, and increased enforcement, could go a long way in making regional supply a reality for many small businesses like Suvikarn’s.
Digital payment tools have helped this process move along. The up-to-date sales insights, as well as tools to help them navigate VATs and the financial hurdle of delayed payments, will make it possible for Coconut & Moo Moo to take on the challenge of selling desserts to supermarkets throughout the region.
