Coco Pipa Blends Global Nutrition and Local Community on Castle Street

Coco Pipa, a vibrant new addition to Castle Street, brings a unique blend of global nutrition and local community spirit to the neighborhood. Life partners and founders Lizzy Fowler and Isaac Bol say the business reflects their love of travel and a shared belief in the importance of accessibility to nutritious food.

The concept for Coco Pipa was inspired by their time living in Costa Rica, where they enjoyed a slower pace of life and abundant, fresh produce. Costa Rica is known for its Pura Vida or “pure life” philosophy which encompasses not only food but a spirit of positivity and tranquility. This experience reminded Isaac of his childhood in Ethiopia, where he would climb mango trees and eat fresh fruit right from the branches. But both Isaac and Lizzy, who grew up in Maine, had limited access to healthy food throughout their childhoods. Only as adults they have come to realize the power of healthy food as medicine for the body and how it can not only help prevent disease but contribute to overall well-being.

“It’s through our travels that we realized how food affects our bodies,” Lizzy Fowler said. “It is also how we learned about the importance of slowing down and taking the time to make a thoughtful, beautiful plate of food. I think we’ve lost that here in the U.S. where everything is so fast paced.”

After returning to the U.S. and exploring the East Coast, the couple found themselves charmed by the Wilmington community, eventually deciding to settle here. They opened Coco Pipa to address the lack of accessible, nutritious food options in the food desert area around Castle Street that has long lacked such resources. Their mission is to provide affordable, healthful food and educate the community about the benefits of proper nutrition.

Coco Pipa’s menu is crafted with this intention, featuring fresh fruit smoothies starting at $5. The pricing strategy ensures that nutritious options are accessible to everyone. Their offerings include a variety of smoothies, salads, and acai bowls made from fresh fruits, vegetables, and superfoods, carefully combined to maximize both flavor and nutritional value.

The shop is more than just a place to grab a healthy meal however. It’s a vibrant, welcoming space that invites customers to slow down and enjoy their food. The interior, features a hand-built bamboo bar, colorful murals and Mexican tiles that reflect the founders’ travels and philosophy. The atmosphere is designed to make visitors feel like they’ve stepped into a tropical oasis, a place where they can slow down and leave their worries behind, even if just for 30 minutes.

“Our mascot is a sloth,” Isaac Bol said. “And that’s intentional. A sloth’s diet is 99 percent plant-based and they take their time.”

In addition to providing affordable, nutritious meals, community engagement is another cornerstone of Coco Pipa. The shop worked with the neighboring nonprofit, Kids Making It, to create their sign and now several of the kids involved in the program have come by to try their food.

“At first some of them would order just a strawberry banana smoothie,” said Bol, alluding to the fact that they were initially intimidated by some of the ingredients they may not have been familiar with. “But then we give them a sample of something new and now they’re coming in and asking for the Ziggy Fresh.”

The Ziggy Fresh is made with coconut water, orange and lime juices, pineapple, mango, avocado, kale, turmeric and moringa.

“It’s about making nutritional options accessible to everyone and changing mindsets,” Fowler added. “We’ve already had people tell us they haven’t been able to eat this way in a very long time.”

Coco PIPA celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, June 20 and a grand opening celebration this past weekend.
They are open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 506 Castle St.