Vita Coco: My Billion-Dollar Coconut Water Company

After a chance encounter with two Brazilian women in a New York City bar in 2003 and hearing about the tasty coconut water they missed from back home, Michael Kirban and his friend Ira Liran wanted to introduce coconut water to the U.S. market. The two co-founded Vita Coco the following year. Initially investing $75,000 to launch the product in the U.S., 20 years later, the company has multiple products and is worth over $1 billion.

Produced by: Raffi Paul
Senior Managing Producer: Eric M. Clark
Editor: Marisa Forziati
Animator: Gene Kim
Senior Production Manager: Kathryn Mavrikakis
Reporter: Tom Huddleston Jr.
Additional Footage: The Vita Coco Company, Getty Images

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Vita Coco: My Billion-Dollar Coconut Water Company

[curiouse]

The real coconut water taste so good that it's very difficult to make it taste bad.
I was so surprised that Vita Coco can make it taste bad!
I am from SEA where i drank coconut water fresh from coconut seller almost every day after school.

[jervlapsley]

If people tasted fresh coconut water... they'd never drink this again.

[codelessunlimited]

They are processed and no longer pure coconut water. The silly part about it, people get tired of drinking the same taste - the company is adding new flavor like chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, cinnamon, mango, pineapple etc.

[mariago]

Filipina here...will stick to our fresh coconuts... 😊

[santostv.]

This is the only thing I give Americans, they can sell ice to a eskimo😂

[h-townmainstreet]

😂 the nastiest coconut 🥥 water on the market 😂

[stealthblack]

None of the packaged coconut water comes close to the one we drink directly from the coconut 🙌

[TaskSwitcherify]

It's great that this supports growing more trees, which produce both coconuts AND oxygen. That's a positive business impact!

[mramaretto]

What a sucess story, great guys! Brazilian Women and Coconuts, Swedish Tetrapak, American entrepeneur spirit

[LeisaKoski]

Vita Coco: Making Americans believe they're drinking coconut water since 2004! 🥥🥤

[kingstonstreet]

I’m from the island and I don’t drink that coconut water. It’s not taste like coconut water and they put too much sugar in it

[alno]

Just drink water, people. There's nothing less and pure than plain water. This stuff is processed and have additives, no matter how much they market as "super-hydrating" or "have more potassium than a banana."

[Ridhostarr]

I am from Indonesia and living in London. For me, vitacoco is good enough coconut water. No kidding. It is not that pricey and avoding sweet carbonated drinks or sugary juice. For me, it is really nice drink besides tea.

[ynwa]

Nothing beats the real coconut water. God made vs man made

[JanBanJoovi-olqv]

The coconut water in this product (if there’s actually any coconut water in it) is so heavily processed that it’s devoid of essential nutrients that an unprocessed coconut water has. It’s just as worst as a typical sugary carbonated drinks or canned fruit juice.

[MyJaywest]

A lotta people are complaining about it’s bad taste & lack of nutrition (which are valid to a point), but does anyone know the actual nutritional value of a naturally grown coconut cuz it’ll surprise you

[bakthawarbehroozbhagesh]

Coconut water will be spoiled after a few days and eventually become sour like vinegar. I don't know if this really is coconut water or not.

[punotomalf]

The first time I tasted this I thought it was a cuticle remover

[iknzuhelF]

This is not about coconut water. This is about selling the concept of drinking coconut water. It's water down and pasteurized (heated or zapped). I like to put this to the lab test. I applaud them for making a business but there's always a better way if you really really cared about offering people a real product. Harmless Harvest is the way to go if you're drinking it from a bottle.

[sidehustletoceo]

Amazing!! 🎉. I love seeing an entrepreneur's journey.