Once Upon a Coconut has launched Coconut Water + Fruit Punch, a no-added-sugar extension made with five whole-juice ingredients now available in 12,000-plus retail doors, on Amazon, and direct-to-consumer — giving c-store buyers a better-for-you hydration SKU pitched squarely at the lunchbox and grab-and-go occasion.

The Product

The new 10.8-ounce slim-can SKU combines coconut water with pineapple, apple, orange, and strawberry juices — all 100% juice, never from concentrate. It carries Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, and plant-based credentials, fitting the clean-label positioning that has pushed premium coconut water into the functional-beverage set at c-stores. No artificial flavors, no added sugar.

Ray Burbige, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Once Upon a Coconut, framed the SKU as a direct answer to the heavy-sugar legacy of conventional fruit punch: "So many options are loaded with added sugar and artificial ingredients. We wanted to bring back that same fun, familiar taste with clean, simple ingredients parents can feel good about and a flavor kids will actually get excited to drink."

The Athlete Tie-In

Layered onto the launch is a limited-edition can featuring professional baseball star Jazz Chisholm Jr., a brand partner whose custom design also spotlights the Jazz Chisholm Foundation and its work creating opportunities for young athletes and families in underserved communities. Athlete-branded packaging has become a reliable velocity driver in the premium hydration segment — particularly in the single-serve cold vault — and the Chisholm tie-in gives the Fruit Punch SKU a distinct billboard effect on shelf.

"Being able to put my own spin on the can while shining a light on my foundation makes it even more special," Chisholm said.

Channel Context

Coconut water has been one of the more consistent growth vectors inside the c-store dispensed-beverage and packaged cold-vault categories. NACS data have consistently shown shoppers skewing toward better-for-you single-serve beverages, and brands with clean labels and functional claims — electrolytes, no added sugar — have outpaced the broader RTD tea and juice segments on a per-SKU velocity basis. Once Upon a Coconut's slim aluminum format fits standard cooler sets without a planogram disruption, a practical advantage for single-store operators evaluating new hydration facings.

Fruit Punch joins Pineapple, Watermelon, and Blueberry in the brand's lineup. The brand, founded in 2020 and backed by a roster of athlete and celebrity investors including Rob Gronkowski and Daymond John, donates 10% of case-sale profits to nonprofits including the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation — a cause-marketing angle that resonates with the health-and-wellness shopper increasingly active in the premium c-store channel.

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.