For Coconut Waters, a Street Fight for Shelf Space

Coconuts are already being produced in vast quantities (60+ million tonnes[1]) for their meat and oil. I imagine the coconut water manufacturers are just using the water which would otherwise be thrown away, which is why the coconut water market has been able to grow so rapidly without increasing global coconut production.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut#Cultivation

> “Part of it was the idea that the developing world needs as many alternative exports as possible,” he said. “And 85 countries around the world were growing coconuts."

You were downvoted, but I think this is an excellent question, especially about faddish products, and especially when they are a staple of LDCs.

It's easy for the spike in demand to have bad environmental consequences (e.g., biodiesel, Fiji water), or economic consequences for people who depend on the crop as a staple (e.g., quinoa). And this would certainly be a factor in whether I will buy the product.

But this doesn't seem to be the case (yet) with coconut water: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/07/coconut-water...

I visited Kerala several years ago, and I have to say the life of a coconut farmer there seemed to have its advantages. They spent their days tending their carefully cultivated trees just a couple hundred meters from a beautiful coastline.

In the costal areas of India there are considerable amounts of coconut trees. Its not uncommon for a family with a moderate lot to have dozens of coconut trees.

What?? Look, coconut water is a new trend in the US, but not everywhere else where it's been consumed for quite a long time. Here in Brazil I've been drinking it (me and everybody else) since I was a kid, and it was just like having a soda or some OJ (actually the two came after the coconut), and Brazil doesn't come close to how much the Philippines and Indonesia produce, and we're the fifth largest producer. There's plenty of coconut water to go to the US.

P.S. We also drink a lot of sugar cane juice here, with ice and a bit of lime squeezed in it. I like it even better. Maybe it will be a fad in some 5 or 10 years, though it's sugar content is (obviously) quite high, and I don't think it keeps as well as coconut water. Give it a try if you're ever in Little Havana in FL.

Who are these pathological downvoters on HN? I wish there was a way to out them.

Many just need a hug and some emotional counselling.

Did they sell too early? It seems like the way to tell is to figure out what the founders and early-stage investors got out of the buyout. If they never have to work again, they sold at exactly the right time. If they do still have to work, then yeah, oops.

There is a large variability in the water for fresh coconut. You have to pick it at the right point.

Sometimes the coconut is not at the right point, so the water will no only not taste as sweet, but will also have an unusual taste, even bitter sometimes. Even though he shouldn't, the guy will still sell it to you, though.

I lived in Vietnam for about a year. On many major street corners, you could usually find someone selling coconuts. The vendor would pick up a fresh one, chop the top off with a machete, and insert a straw + spoon. While the quality varied, more often than not they were good. That said, it's definitely not a taste everyone will enjoy.

I've been back in the states since June. The coconut juice/drinks sold in the stores taste nothing like actual coconut juice. I'm not sure people would go as crazy over the real thing...but who knows.

Same thing. I find coconut water, even directly from the coconut, to be absolutely disgusting and almost vomit inducing.

Did you by any chance try it while on port/coastal/tropical town? I know not everybody likes it, but having grown up eating and drinking coconuts I love the stuff. And yes, the packaged water found in grocery stores here (U.S.) is not quite the same, but I do buy one by 365 (Whole Foods brand?) which is cheaper and IMO better that the alternatives found here.

Was it cold? Coconut juice tastes a lot better when it's ice cold IMO.

thanks for the tips! i've also sampled all the coconut waters i can find. 2 things i've come to notice...

- coconut water from thailand has a better (sweeter?) taste than from brazil.

- drinking out of steel/aluminum vs plastic containers somehow makes a difference. that could just be in my head though.

Amy & Brian's is the brand i get around here that satisfies my criteria.

will have to checkout the raw stuff though :)

Do you know where the pink coconut water comes from?

I drink it most every day straight from the coconut or poured into a plastic bag, and it always looks clear as water.

My family owns a coconut plantation in Fiji and we've been in the copra business for over a century.

I've never seen pink coconut water.

Blue Monkey coconut water is the best IMO. Haven't had ONE though.

Is Copra available in the US? So far the best I've had is Vita. Unfortunately sometimes it tastes great and sometimes it tastes pretty bad. For some strange reason, the smaller bottles of vita always taste bad.

> Now, here's the deal breaker, all of the above coconut waters are total trash compared to RAW coconut water.

Can anyone tell me how it's possible to transfer coconut water from a coconut to a bottle without contaminating it with bacteria/yeast from the air? I'm a bit skeptic about it actually being raw, but I hope it's true.