The best known coconut product is cooking oil. This is extracted from copra (dried coconut meat) in a solvent extraction process. Hexane is used to dissolve the oil in the copra. The oil is subsequently separated from the hexane in a distillation process. The industry producing this high cholesterol cooking oil is centered in Southeast Asia.

Vincent machines do not have anything to do with producing coconut cooking oil. However, there is a coconut product, Coco Lopez, which is produced with Vincent screw presses.

Coco Lopez was started with a government grant to the University of Puerto Rico. The project was funded in an effort to develop a new industry for the island commonwealth. The project was headed by a staff member (or student) by the name of Lopez, and in 1970 a Vincent VP-6 press was purchased and shipped to the University. Vincent's Tampa sales representative, Art Lund, was heavily involved in the project.

The product developed is known as Cream of Coconut. The most popular brand, Coco Lopez, is used as a cooking ingredient for a variety of main dishes and deserts; it is found on the shelves of most supermarkets. Also, Coco Lopez Pina Colada Mix is a popular product.

Coco Lopez is produced from fresh shredded coconut meat. The coconuts are harvested, chucked, and shelled. The liquid in the coconut is discarded, and the meat is removed from the shells either with a machete or, following boiling, with a spoon).

The meat is shredded to a size similar to that of the flakes that are spread on cookies and cakes. Hot water is added in a batch process and the material is blended. Once blended, the material is pressed in Vincent presses.

Generally, double pressing is employed, although the most progressive processors use triple pressing to obtain the highest yield. Large VP-16 presses are used for first pressing, while smaller VP-12's and 10's are used for second and third pressings. The rotating cone option is used to maximize yield.

The juice extracted from the coconut is referred to as coconut milk. It is screened and centrifuged. With the addition of a great deal of sugar, Coco Lopez is produced.

The project was so successful that Lopez left the University and commercialized the product. The industry was moved to the nearby Dominican Republic because the labor is cheaper and both coconuts and sugar cane are plentiful. Today there are half a dozen firms producing Cream of Coconut on the island. Ironically, the largest of these now import their sugar from Guatemala because of lower cost and higher quality.