If you were sitting there during Cast Away wishing you could have a sip of coconut water instead of your 128-oz. Diet Coke -- boy are you excited about the latest potential growth market for Coke and Pepsi!
As demand for bottled water has shrunk, beverage makers are trying to boost their market share by turning to new offerings, the latest of which appears to be coconut water. In the past two weeks, Pepsi has purchased Amacoco -- Brazil's largest producer of coconut water -- while Coca-Cola has taken a minority investment in California-based ZICO beverages.
Coconut water is the light runoff from green coconuts, not the heavier milk from the meat of the fruit. The sweetness depends on whether there's any added sugar. Without additives, it tastes like fruit water -- an essence of coconut rather than a sweet drink. Coconut water was brought to the United States in 2005 based on tremendous success in the Latin American market, particularly Brazil. Blogger NY Nerd was convinced it was the next Snapple back in 2007.
Zico pure coconut water is already
on the market, advertised as "nature's sports drink" because of
naturally occurring potassium and electrolytes. The first testimonial
is from a Bikram yoga instructor, if that's any indication of the
target market (that was the recipe for success for Pom -- a luxury juice product with a highly targeted demographic).
Fruit water is well-established, but is the market currently oversaturated? If this Entertainment Weekly interview with Tom Hanks is any
indication, the American palate might not be ready for coconuts:
''YouImage via Flickr: babasteve]know coconuts? Think you can eat a lot of coconuts? Well, let me tell
you, it's a natural laxative. So just put two and two together there.
Take a coconut, drink all the milk out of it, and then eat all the
insides, and you tell me how you feel after an hour and a half....''
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Vita Coco is the best! It is my go to drink. It keeps me hydrated and refreshed, I also have more energy and can concentrate better when I drink it. It's an amazing product.
Yes, I'm obsessed with Vita Coco! So glad I discovered it.
My favorite drink in the world at the moment :)
I agree with the other comments--- Vita Coco is extremely tasty and healthy, and should definitely be everyone's first choice in coconut water because it's organic!
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