In Fred Heatherton’s novelty song, “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts,” the composer depicts a showman prodding people to play a game involving coconuts in order to make him rich. Although in the playful song coconuts are used to deceive consumers, today, coconuts — or more aptly coconut water — is more commonly perceived as a healthy complement for consumers.
“[Coconut water] is viewed as a healthy product,” says Jonas Feliciano, beverage analyst with Chicago-based Euromonitor International. “It’s viewed as a natural product, so consumers are flocking to it based on those benefits.”