Zico® Builds on Its Success
Coconut water leader stays on top with new flavors and packaging
The popularity of coconut water has skyrocketed in recent years as more and more people seek to take steps toward a balanced lifestyle. As a result, many have turned to the water of green coconuts as a delicious hydrating drink that supports hydration with five naturally occurring electrolytes, including as much potassium as a banana.
It may seem like coconut water is a fad, but make no mistake: It's here to stay. Though the category is still young (approximately 12% of households purchase coconut water right now, according to Nielsen, 52 WE Q1 2015), there is huge potential as the category is growing 30% annually, according to Nielsen Dollar Volume 2009 6/2015.
At the forefront of the category is ZICO® Coconut Water. Founded more than a decade ago in New York City, the brand has hand-harvested more than 1 billion green coconuts from Asia to bring refreshing, crisp ZICO coconut water to millions of people around the world. Beyond the original and best-selling ZICO Natural flavor, which is 100% coconut water with no sugar added*, ZICO has evolved into a beverage powerhouse with unique offerings. ZICO comes in a variety of flavored coconut water options, including Watermelon Raspberry, Chocolate and Pineapple, as well as ZICO Chilled Juices, a category-first line that combines chilled coconut water and juice blends, including Orange, Pineapple Mango and Strawberry Banana.
Refreshing the Coconut Craze
Twenty fifteen was a big year for ZICO. The brand launched 10 products and packaging innovations to expand its portfolio to appeal to a variety of consumers. And the year ahead promises to be exciting for ZICO, particularly with the 2016 relaunch of its core single-serve products (Natural, Pineapple, Chocolate and Watermelon Raspberry flavors) to feature not-from-concentrate coconut water in a clear resealable 16.9-oz. PET bottle.
This offering is exciting for both the brand and consumer, since it provides a better value to the shopper as compared to ZICO's 14-oz. offering (a 2.9-oz. increase for the same cost as the 14-oz. HDPE bottle) as well as an improved taste profile, with 100% not-from-concentrate coconut water versus the brand's from-concentrate offering. Today, 70% of coconut water category sales happen within grocery and mass retailers, according to Nielsen AMC EQ Volume/Share, Latest 52 Week. Though that sector will remain a key pillar for ZICO, the brand's primary retail focus in 2016 is on expanding the availability of ZICO's 16.9-oz. products into additional channels, with an emphasis on convenience retail, drug stores and foodservice/on-premise accounts.
Regardless of flavor preference, consumers get consistent, great-tasting products across the entire ZICO portfolio — and that's fantastic news for coconut water lovers everywhere.
*This is not a reduced-calorie food.
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