Sunday, August 1, 2010

PRODUCT WATCH: ZICO COCONUT WATER | THE CELEBRITY COCONUT WATER WARS


If you pay attention to the Tabloids, you'd know that Madonna will not be seen anywhere without her Coconut Water. People Magazine proclaims that the beverage is now a "one million dollar industry" and its popularity only continues to spike.  With the rage finally spreading north of the Border with distributors finally beginning to carry it here, I decided to give it a try. Mind you, Madonna publicly endorses Vita Coco Coconut Water, actually owning a share in the company, so it's little coincidence that she's seen often smiling with a bottle pressed close to her heart. 

Upon perusing the beverage selection at my beloved Whole Foods, I found Zico Natural Coconut Water in an 11 oz. enviro-conscious Tetra Pack (330 ml).  Thanks to Coca-Cola buying a large share in the company last Fall, it is now accessible in these parts, although it is a bit of a task finding a shop that has competing brands O.N.E. and Vita Coco in stock in this city.

I made the mistake of drinking the beverage at room temperature last night in my excitement to try it. Fatal error. Yuck.   Luckily, I did scoop up a few boxes and refrigerated them and upon trying the drink (extracted from Green Coconuts) chilled, I can say that it's actually quite refreshing. It's light, mild-flavoured and a much more natural, healthier alternative to the likes of Gatorade if you're looking to quench your thirst and hydrate; or even a Banana if you're looking to up your Potassium intake without the calories.  Heck, I'd even throw in some Pineapple Juice (Organic, of course), a bit of Rum and a Paper Umbrella in it if I had some lying around!

A serving of Zico Coconut Water is only 60 Calories, has 0 grams of Fat - ditto for Cholesterol. It does however, have 15 grams of Carbohydrates and 14 grams of Sugar as we are living in a Carbo-fearing era.  Worth a try at $2.69 CAN a pop, which is pretty reasonable.

Just for fun, let's see who's on Team Vita Coco, Team O.N.E. and Team Zico:

Vita Coco: Madonna, Chris Pine, Ed Westwick, Anna Paquin, Kara DioGuardi, Stephen Moyer, Jessica Simpson, Mischa Barton, Ellen Pompeo, Demi Moore and Matthew McConaughey

Zico: Molly Sims, Courteney Cox, Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavillari and Gisele Bundchen

O.N.E.: Rihanna, Jai Rodriguez, Deborah Gibson, Anne Hathaway, Tila Tequila and Brooke Shields

2 comments:

  1. I don't need the trendy celeb-endorsed coconut juices. I'm a big fan of the old school Grace coconut water with pulp that sells at the grocery store for about $1 a can. Designer liquors I can understand. Pass the Courvoisier. Designer fruit/nut juice? Nope.

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  2. There are other brands also, like Amy & Brian, but the most people like Vita Coco, as I gathered.

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