The liquid refreshment beverage market has seen the emergence of many categories in the past decade or so. Among those emerging categories, coconut water has shown that it has the ability to reach both niche and mainstream consumers through its health positioning as well as exploration of new flavors and product formulations.
“The coconut water category has continued to climb over the years,” says Tom Larsen, president and general manager at ZICO, El Segundo, Calif. “While initial explosive category growth has naturally slowed in line with the total beverage category, we’ve seen household penetration hit 13.5 percent, plus coconut water is no longer isolated to just the natural channel. We’ve even seen coconut water showing up on menu options resulting in a threefold increase in foodservice menu penetration. We’re really excited to see coconut water evolving as both a stand-alone product and ingredient base, and we have high expectations for the future.”