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Don’t Fly Dry: Vita Coco, America’s Best-Selling Coconut Water and Super Hydrator, Lands at Major U.S. Airports

Dépèche transmise le 9 novembre 2009 par Business Wire

Don’t Fly Dry: Vita Coco, America’s Best-Selling Coconut Water and Super Hydrator, Lands at Major U.S. Airports

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vita Coco, the best-selling fresh coconut water brand in the U.S. and one of the fastest-growing lifestyle beverages in the country, today announced new distribution at 10 of the nation’s leading airports, allowing busy travelers who want to “hydrate” before, during and after a flight, to do just that.

“Vita Coco won’t give you wings,” says Michael Kirban, CEO and co-founder of Vita Coco, “but it will give unequalled hydration when traveling by air.”

The lack of humidity in an airplane cabin means you can dehydrate quickly. Logic dictates drinking plenty of water, which also means plenty of visits to the airplane’s lavatory. Drinking a Vita Coco pre-flight gives you 700 mg of potassium, which helps accelerate the hydration process when you do drink water in-flight. “It’s smarter hydration for the busy traveler,” says Kirban, who regularly travels from New York to Brazil—an 11-hour flight.

Vita Coco will be sold at dozens of Cibo Gourmet Express Markets, and other restaurants and shops at the following airports, starting November 2009:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport, Terminal 5 and Terminal 8
• LaGuardia Airport, US Airways Terminal
• LaGuardia Airport, Central Terminal Building
• Philadelphia International Airport
• Washington Dulles International Airport
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• Tucson International Airport
• Boston Logan International Airport
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport
• Orlando International Airport

“As innovators in operating restaurants in airports across the country, OTG is proud to be the first to offer fresh coconut water to our customers nationwide,” says Kevin Drayer, Director of Supply Management for OTG Management, one of the nation’s largest airport food service providers. OTG owns and operates Cibo Gourmet Express Markets.

“Our arrival at U.S. airports is a strategic initiative intended to connect with our consumers nationally, and our future consumers, internationally,” says Kirban. Vita Coco’s sales in the U.S. now give the brand 60% market share in the fresh coconut water category. Vita Coco’s growth in the U.K., entirely organic, has grown 150% in the past 12 months. “The Vita Coco brand has global legs and we’re exploring that potential aggressively.”

Vita Coco—natural 100% pure coconut water—has for many consumers become the best alternative to sports drinks and enhanced bottled waters. One reason: the 11.2 ounce/330 ml serving size of Vita Coco contains almost 700 mg of potassium and approximately 15 times more electrolytes than the average sports drink in a similar serving size.

About Vita Coco

Vita Coco was founded by childhood friends Michael Kirban and Ira Liran in 2004 and is based in New York City. The Vita Coco brand is a leader in the natural-functional beverage category and is the #1 selling coconut water in the U.S. (source: Merrill Lynch/Bank of America) with 60% market share. Vita Coco is sold at over 12,000 retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Giant Eagle, Ralph’s, Shaw’s, Stop&Shop, HEB and Hannaford Supermarkets. Visit: www.vitacoco.com

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