Once Upon a Coconut has added Coconut Water + Fruit Punch to its lineup, delivering a no-added-sugar answer to one of the most sugar-laden categories on retail shelves. The new SKU is available now on Amazon, at OnceUponACoconut.com, and through select retailers in single 10.8-ounce cans and 12-packs.
The formula uses five ingredients — coconut water, pineapple juice, apple juice, orange juice, and strawberry juice — all made from 100% juice, never from concentrate. The product carries Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, and plant-based certifications, positioning it squarely in the better-for-you beverage segment that continues to attract operator and retail buyer attention. For foodservice and hospitality buyers sourcing clean-label beverages, the certification stack and simple ingredient list reduce menu-description friction and align with guest expectations around transparency.
The Athlete Partnership
Alongside the product launch, Once Upon a Coconut is releasing a limited-edition can designed in collaboration with professional baseball player Jazz Chisholm Jr. The custom packaging spotlights the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, which focuses on creating opportunities for young athletes and families in underserved communities. Chisholm, who grew up in the Bahamas where coconut water is a staple, said the combination of real fruit punch flavor and no added sugar reflects both his heritage and his current lifestyle priorities. Cause-aligned packaging has proven effective at driving trial in retail environments, and the limited-edition format creates urgency for buyers looking to feature seasonal or story-driven SKUs.
Portfolio Context
The Fruit Punch addition joins Pineapple, Watermelon, and Blueberry in Once Upon a Coconut's fruit-infused coconut water range. The brand, launched in 2020, now operates in more than 12,000 retail locations nationwide, sourcing young green coconuts from Vietnam and packaging them in slim aluminum cans. The company also donates 10% of profits from each case sold to nonprofit partners including the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and Tunnel to Towers Foundation — a giving model increasingly cited by retail and foodservice buyers as a differentiator when evaluating comparable SKUs.
Ray Burbige, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Once Upon a Coconut, framed the new flavor as a direct response to what he sees as a gap in the fruit punch category. "So many options are loaded with added sugar and artificial ingredients," he said. "We wanted to bring back that same fun, familiar taste with clean, simple ingredients parents can feel good about." That positioning — nostalgia stripped of synthetic additives — mirrors a broader reformulation trend playing out across the beverage industry, as brands race to recapture classic flavor profiles under cleaner nutritional labels.
For hospitality operators, the SKU's compact format and recognized certifications make it a viable candidate for grab-and-go coolers, minibar programs, and catered events targeting younger or health-focused guests. Industry observers tracking the better-for-you beverage movement in restaurants and hotels will recognize Once Upon a Coconut's approach as consistent with consumer demand data showing sustained growth in low- and no-added-sugar functional drinks. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked similar clean-label launches gaining traction in both retail and foodservice channels over the past two years.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
