As the temperature goes up, we humans have to be more careful about the pesky task of hydration. Keeping cool and full of fluids is important during the summer—and, thankfully, many beverages suit the situation besides boring old water! Chock full of those precious electrolytes is coconut water, which is the clear juice inside the very centre of young coconut fruits. Coconut water is prized in tropical countries for its refreshing properties but hasn’t made much of a dent in our neck of the woods, except as a specialist, natural alternative to something like Gatorade. But Vita Coco, one of the biggest coconut water brands, is hoping to change this situation and crack open (if you’ll excuse the pun!) several new beverage markets with a deft rebrand.
“Vita Coco is working with Alfred Coffee, a chain with locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin, Texas, to use its recently launched Barista MLK, a plant-based coconut milk developed in partnership with
baristas. Other coffee chain partnerships are expected to be announced later this year.
An agreement with Bloom Nutrition, a female-focused health and wellness brand, is touting Vita Coco as a supplement to greens in smoothies and other food offerings. […]
Vita Coco is getting its coconut water stocked in bars, restaurants and clubs, starting with a few locations in The Hamptons this summer. Several locations will serve the Coco Blanco, a drink made with Vita Coco coconut water, tequila, agave and lime. At the Surf Lodge, the hotel and restaurant will offer Coco Blanco, and Vita Coco will be automatically served on a tray next to a spirit drink. The Vita Coco logo also will adorn surfboards and yoga mats.”
On a fascinating note, the company states it’s modeling its bid for ubiquity on the success of Ocean Spray’s cranberry cocktail, which until this very moment I didn’t realize is a startlingly regional drink. (In the 1940s, Ocean Spray basically invented the Cape Codder out of thin air, and here we are 80 years later up to our ears in Cosmopolitans.) Time will tell if coconut water treads the path forged by New England’s finest Thanksgiving juice, and if the 18th season of And Just Like That… features the gals downing coco-tinis after porting their consciousnesses into robot bodies, post-Singularity. With luck—and proper hydration—may we meet the future too!