Where Can You Buy Zico Coconut Water
When news leaked last October that beverage giant Coca-Cola was looking to discontinue its Zico coconut water brand as part of a broader culling of its portfolio, private-equity investor Mark Rampolla couldn't wait to pick up the phone.
where can you buy zico coconut water
Just a few months later, Zico, the distant No. 2 brand in the coconut water space behind Vita Coco, is coming back to a familiar former home. Coca-Cola is selling the beverage to a firm co-founded by Rampolla, the brand's creator, for an undisclosed amount.
Rampolla first discovered coconut water and its natural replenishing properties as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central America in 1994. He started Zico a decade later above the garage of his New Jersey home. At the time, the market in the U.S. hadn't really taken hold and was populated by smaller offerings from companies such as Goya and premium waters being imported from Brazil. Five years later, Rampolla sold a minority stake in Zico to Coca-Cola for $15 million before the beverage giant acquired the rest in 2013.
The purchase of Zico comes as the once-hot coconut water category has fallen sharply from its peak just a few years ago, under heavy competition from other healthy beverage options. Retail sales of coconut and other plant waters declined to $582.8 million in 2020, down nearly 14% from 2015, according to Euromonitor International. Sales of coconut water did rebound last year during the pandemic as consumers boosted their consumption of better-for-you offerings.
Stumbling along Ipanema Beach after a red-eye flight to Rio de Janeiro in 2013, I had my first sip of coconut water. It was sold at a roadside stand, still in a green coconut hacked down from a palm tree across the street. I drank from a straw poked through a hole in the top, and felt immediately revived by the subtly sweet, nutrient-packed liquid.
Little wonder that U.S. demand for coconut water was booming at the time, rising from nothing in the early 2000s to about $600 million in 2013, according to research firm Euromonitor. In the U.S., coconut water brands like Zico, ONE and Vita Coco were becoming household names, and appearing on store shelves across the country.
Zico coconut water was discontinued amid Coca-Cola's significant product cuts last year, but has now been bought back by its original creator, Mark Rampolla, and his company PowerPlant Ventures, for an undisclosed sum, reports Food Business News. Rampolla founded Zico Beverages LLC in 2004 and ended up selling the brand to Coca-Cola in 2013, at the height of the coconut water craze. (Related: Grocery Shortages To Expect in 2021, According to Experts.)
I recently tried Zico and I was not at all impressed. If I had to choose the best coconut water on the market, I would have to say that Vita Coco hands down is the best. And it does wonders for my hangovers :)
Zico is HORRIBLE NOW! COKE DESTROYED IT! Plastic bottles and from some nasty concentrate. Buy ONE or Vita coco or any other brand of natural coconut water. Not some dried up shit, packaged, processed and re -constitued with tap water. DAMN YOU ZIIIIICOOOOOOO!
VitaCoco may camouflage its corporate connections in the look and lingo of small business coziness, but make no mistake: Vitacoco and other coconut water products are backed by U.S. industrial food corporations and Wall Street bankers.
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CocaColaCo or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
Northern Brazil's anão coconuts are small and piquant, giving their coconut water a fresh, tart taste. Plus, this company replenishes one square foot of the Amazon rainforest for every bottle sold. You can find it at Publix and some health food stores.
"Over the course of the past four to five years, I have personally been able to get over 50 people who 'hate coconut water' to try Wai Koko, and the look on their face is priceless," this reviewer boasted. "They LOVE it."
"I have tasted a dozen different brands in the can in search of a relatively healthy beverage to stock in our fridge as an alternative to soda, beer, or juice," one reviewer said. "This is hands down the highest quality canned coconut water available on the market." There's also a lime and cinnamon flavor that people love.
If coconut water is your go-to post workout drink, try this variety from Life Refreshed. It's pure coconut water, but has a slightly higher sodium content, making it perfect thing to sip on when you need come electrolytes.
On the hunt for that coconut flavor with a little fizz and a little jilt? Try this canned Once Upon A Coconut sparkling water, with caffeine added. Reviewers love it for its "not overwhelming" coconut flavor, "perfect amount of caffeine," and "light fizz."
In January 2021, PowerPlant Ventures announced their acquisition of ZICO coconut water from The Coca-Cola Company. The brand's ownership has come full circle, as PowerPlant Ventures was co-founded and is co-led by Mark Rampolla, who was behind ZICO's initial 2004 launch.[6]
Founded by entrepreneur and international businessman Mark Rampolla in 2004, ZICO was one of the three original coconut water brands (the others are O.N.E. and Vita Coco). It was the second to receive financing from one of the beverage giants, pulling Coke on board soon after PepsiCo invested in O.N.E. 041b061a72
