Rexwell Villas, On October 1, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - The ubiquitous fruit that has been a staple to every Filipino home is now on the cusp of a grand unveiling to the rest of the world. The tropical fruit that we all have grown to love may soon be on its way of making a huge splash on western countries paving the way for an unprecedented growth in the local industry.


Coconut as Sports Drink?

Sports in the United States and Europe are not just giant cultural entities that have the power to influence and shape an entire population. Sports is also a multi-billion dollar marketing and advertising business therefore the Kobe Bryants, the Derek Jeters, and the Cristiano Ronaldos of the world.

Imagine any of the aforementioned stars downing a tumbler filled with buko juice during timeouts.

Flashes of these visions are now starting to excite the top government officials including President Benigno Aquino III after they received information that the demand for coco water in the US and Europe as an alternative to sports drinks like Gatorade is growing.

Given the size of the market and the economy of these countries, those buko juices we keep on seeing being peddled on karitons might be the next ‘must-have’ of water coolers abroad.


The Future of the local Coconut industry

As revealed by the President himself, Mr. Aquino said that two US companies have shown interest in making investments in the local coconut industry to cover all of the demand for coco water.

A $15 million worth of investment over the course of four years is in the plans of Vita Coco according to Mr. Aquino.

The president brought the good news upon his arrival from a working visit in the US: “Drinking what they call coco water, and what we call buko juice, is a growing trend in the US.

“Because of its nutrients, because it is natural and environment friendly, it is becoming the new natural sports drink in America and is now a hundred-million-dollar industry.

Also, Mr. Aquino rhetorically asked, “Doesn’t it (buko juice) sometimes just go to waste? Who would have thought we could earn from it and use it to uplift the lives of many Filipinos in the provinces?”

The recognized the burgeoning opportunity of these developments’ offer to the local coconut farmers in the provinces.


Anticipating the Need

The right thing to do now is anticipate the need by planting more coconut trees. At least that is how Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo wants our country to begin as he is anticipating a further increase in international demand for coco water.

Mr. Domingo noted that while the Philippines can still cope with the current rate of demand, the market for coco water is continuously expanding with the current annual growth of 40% expected to still surge.

Tens of thousands of new jobs are expected to be created once the two companies start to operate in the country.

Beverage giants Pepsi Co. and Vita Coco are the two companies President Aquino is saying as those interested in investing in the local coconut industry.

Should everything go on as planned, coconut juice may not only be just known as a drink that replenishes our body with energy but our economy as well.