Coconut Water: The Single-ingredient Sports Recovery Drink

Products that are "as natural as possible" have the biggest consumer appeal - in every category and in every country. Nowhere is the opportunity for an "all natural" product bigger than in the market for sports recovery drinks

The discovery that coconut water contains in its natural form more electrolytes and nutrients than formulated sports drinks has sparked a frenzy of industry interest and the creation of a new, "natural" segment of the sports nutrition market

Coconut water opens the door to new opportunities in the $19-billion (€12-billion) global market for sports recovery drinks. It is a market dominated by a handful of brands, all based on complex formulations of ingredients, and characterised by consistent growth

Coconut water's appeal extends from elite athletes to everyday gym-goers and it has huge untapped potential among the many mainstream consumers who cannot relate to the "youth" and "added ingredient" positioning of most of the existing brands

The packaging, distribution, marketing communications and brand positioning of the existing US coconut water brands are analysed in this concise 19-page report

This practical analysis is written for anyone trying to develop an effective strategy for a "natural" sports recovery drink and aims to provide executives in marketing and technical roles with real-world insights that can be applied in any setting

It includes supermarket sales data for coconut waters as well as interviews with senior executives of the main companies marketing coconut waters in the US