Coconut water has historically always been part of the Indian coastal diet. The nut has been used in its tender (green) form as a drink, but additionally the mature (brown) nut has been part of the Indian diet in the form of wedges of hard flesh, desiccated or dried coconut, coconut milk, powder, cream and oil. Ayurveda celebrates the coconut as one of nature’s greatest providers, and speaks highly of the health benefits of this multi-purpose nut. Pure coconut water, particularly when extracted from a young, green coconut, has incredible hydrating properties thanks to its naturally isotonic balance of electrolytes that matches the ideal composition of human blood. The naturally occurring salts help your body rejuvenate, but the goodness of coconut water can also be seen in improvements in your skin, as well as heightening your concentration.
In India this offers a tremendous opportunity for anyone exploring an entry into the nascent but increasingly talked about packaged coconut water industry. While it is early days for the packaged drink, coconut water has a few advantages that other soft drinks do not have. Firstly, the goodness of coconut water complements the increasing demand for healthy food and beverage offerings. Consumers today are more knowledgeable than even a few years ago, and are particularly aware of the amount of sugar in packaged food and drinks. This awareness has led to a recent de-growth of 20% in the soft drinks segment. The fact that coconut water is already consumed in large quantities in its unprocessed form presents another advantage for the new industry: acceptance of the product by the consumer is a given, and the habit-changing advertising money can be put to better use. As long as the practical advantages to a packaged drink are effectively communicated, there is already an existing demand for the drink across the country - more so away from the coasts where the unprocessed nuts are in shorter supply.
Packaged coconut water as it is known today was made possible thanks to technology advancements made by the packaging giant Tetra Pak, who operate a coconut water research centre out of Singapore. Before the improvements in the packaging process, coconut water could not last more than a few hours without the addition of preservatives and sugar. A few brands out of SE Asia offered canned coconut water, but the artificial and excessively sweet drink never took off in other geographies. But in 2003 the industry took a leap forward when the founders of Vita Coco, the world's largest coconut water brand, returned from a holiday in Brazil and set about converting Americans to the wonderful benefits of coconut water that was now able to make the journey to North America with the help of Tetra Pak's packaging technology. By 2010, both Coca Cola and Pepsi had invested in market leading coconut water brands in the US (Zico and O.N.E Coconut Water respectively), which propelled the industry even further. Today the global market has crossed $1 billion and continues to grow at an astonishing 25% CAGR.
The Brazilian coconut water industry can be used as a way of anticipating the type of response one could expect in a country where unprocessed coconut water is already abundantly available across the country. In 2003, at the start of Brazil's packaged coconut water journey, the consumption of coconut water made up only 21% of its 100% juice market. By 2010, that number had grown to 67%. Today Brazil is the largest consumer of packaged coconut water, beating both USA and SE Asian markets. In support of the growing preference for healthier food options, Brazil's Pizza Hut and KFC outlets sell more coconut water than any other drink on their menu. While India is not identical to Brazil in any way, the signs certainly give Indian coconut brands confidence in the opportunity that this country can offer.
The coconut supply chain in India remains an unorganised and complex sector, with the majority of organised supply heading towards coconut oil production and other coconut uses. Since the demand for the water on an industrial scale is still so recent, marketers of the water often struggle to find large enough volumes from reliable suppliers. While the Coconut Board of India aims to increase the demand for coconut water and coconut-based products, their plans for generating demand are outdated and have not caught up with the potential of packaged coconut water. Having said that, the Coconut Board has started to promote technology that can extract the water and bottle it, a method that has been adopted by several manufacturers in the southern states. For the coconut industry to truly modernise, the Coconut Board will need to work alongside the new wave of packaged coconut water entrepreneurs to mechanise the coconut collection and aggregation process and improve the availability of the nuts in their young, drinkable form.
We, at Nilgai Foods, have a strong belief in the next five years for the Indian market. We expect the market to grow from under Rs 10 crore today to over Rs 1,100 crore in five years' time, taking some share of the packaged juice market but at the same time catalysing a conversion in the unorganised sector to the packaged version of the nut. We believe that our brand, Cocofly, has the potential to become one of India's leading brands over the coming years. We plan to do this by establishing ourselves as the truly guilt-free coconut water that contains no added sugar and no preservatives, distinguishing ourselves from other coconut water brands who compromise purity in favour of extended shelf life and increased profitability. By emphasising the 100% natural qualities of the product and by offering the consumer total transparency, we hope to capture the audience that recognises product integrity and safety as important considerations beyond simply affordability. That said, with an MRP of Rs 30, Cocofly is likely to be the most affordable brand on offer this summer in Mumbai and Delhi.
