Comax flavors tap into trendy coconut water
Recently there has been an upswing in sales of drinks with “good for you” ingredients, but sales of sports drinks have slumped. In the United States, sales fell 12.3 percent last year, according to Beverage Marketing Corporation figures. However, coconut water – the clear liquid from the centre of young green coconuts – has emerged as a healthy alternative to the big energy drinks that have traditionally dominated the sports drink market. Coconut water sales are booming as fitness enthusiasts look to the low-calorie drink for its natural electrolytes, vitamins and minerals.
Comax Flavors said it is responding to this demand with a range of natural flavors including blackcurrant, lulo (a small orange South American fruit), lychee, and yang mei (a Chinese fruit trademarked in the European Union as ‘yumberry’), among others. Many flavor firms have developed exotic fruit flavors for coconut water, as they are seen to be a particularly good fit with the exotic connotations of the drink.
And apart from offering flavors for coconut water beverages, Comax said its flavors could also “bring the fresh, appealing taste of coconut water to other products.”
The flavors are kosher and available in water-soluble liquid forms, and the company also offers a natural coconut water WONF (with other natural flavors) flavor, Comax said.
Coconut water’s image has been enhanced with a host of recent celebrity endorsements, including one from Madonna early this year, when she invested $1.5m in Vita Coco, one of the leading players on the American market.
Other flavor companies that have developed flavor ranges specifically for coconut water include Wild Flavors, GSB Flavor Creators and Virginia Dare.
