Vita Coco to Present World’s Biggest Coconut Experience
Coconut water brand Vita Coco will help consumers beat the heat this summer with the World’s Biggest Coconut roadside experience popping up in Dallas from July 22 through July 24. The colossal coconut pop-up will invite Texans to celebrate summer and Vita Coco’s new hydrating and refreshing Coconut Juice, which launched earlier this summer, with a new invigorating and tropical coconut experience.
Standing over three stories tall, the giant inflatable coconut will be visible throughout the neighborhood, a nod to “Everything is Bigger in Texas.” In addition to the coconut, the roadside experience will be a can’t-miss stop for Texans, featuring local food trucks, outdoor games, and the opportunity for visitors to hydrate with products from Vita Coco. The experience will highlight the brand’s first juice beverage offering, Vita Coco Coconut Juice, conveniently canned for consumers on the go.
“We know summer in Texas means two things: heat and the need for refreshing and fun summertime experiences that help you cool down. The World’s Biggest Coconut Experience offers Texans both, while introducing Vita Coco’s most tropical flavor profile yet, giving consumers the chance to enjoy all the goodness coconuts bring,” said Jane Prior, chief marketing officer at The Vita Coco Company.
“Our new Coconut Juice has a big, bold flavor, so we knew we had to celebrate the launch in a big, bold way. And what better way to do that than with the World’s Biggest Coconut in the state where everything’s bigger.”
The World’s Biggest Coconut experience in Dallas will give local friends and families a fun pit stop during their weekend plans, offering complimentary Vita Coco Coconut Juice, games, merchandise giveaways, and photo opportunities. The World’s Biggest Coconut Experience will be located in the Bishop Arts District and available to visit, free of admission, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 22-24. Guests can RSVP at events.vitacoco.com/biggestcoconut to reserve a spot and receive 10 percent off vitacoco.com.
Vita Coco Coconut Juice is available in two flavors, Original with Pulp, and Mango. A delicious blend of coconut water packed with electrolytes, nutrients, and a burst of tropical flavor, Vita Coco Coconut Juice is gluten-free and non-GMO.
It’s available for just $2.49 per 16.9 oz. can in convenience stores in select cities across the East Coast and Dallas, including select 7-Eleven stores.
Keep updated on the specialty food and beverage industries by subscribing to Gourmet News.
Cibo Vita CEO Named Entrepreneur of the Year in New Jersey
Emre Imamoglu CEO of Cibo Vita, right, accepts the award for New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year
Emre Imamoglu, CEO of healthy snack food maker Cibo Vita, was named Entrepreneur of the Year, 2022 New Jersey Regional Award Winner, by Ernst & Young at an awards luncheon last month.
Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Judging was based on commitment to excellence, category diversification and innovation. Factored in the judging were applicants’ responses to questions such as:
- Identifying opportunity to innovate and create a better world
- Demonstrating courage perseverance and resilience to overcoming obstacles
- Inspiring purpose, vision and taking risks
- Identifying strategies for a sustainable future
Forty-two companies from New Jersey vied for this coveted award. As New Jersey Award Winner, Imamoglu is entered into the Nationals. National finalists and winners will be announced in November in Palm Springs, Calif., at EY’s Strategic Growth Forum.
Founded in 2009, Cibo Vita began by producing private label healthy snack products that consisted of dried fruit and nut combinations for supermarkets nationwide. Nature’s Garden, the company’s flagship brand, launched in 2011. BeHonest low-carb, low-sugar chocolates, launched in 2021.
The company mission is to continuously create innovative products that promote functionuality, digestive wellness and heart health, as well as offer products that are energy boosting and address a ketogenic diet.
Cibo Vita features more than 2,000 SKUs with various combinations of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, trail mixes and coated pretzels and chocolates. Cibo Vita products are sold in supermarkets, big box, drug chains, health food and convenience stores as well as warehouse clubs nationwide.
The company holds certifications for Keto, RSPO, UTZ, Kosher, Organic, Paleo and Gluten-Free. Its manufacturing, distribution, product development, warehouse facilities and corporate offices are based in Totowa, N.J. Since 2018, Cibo Vita has enjoyed a compound annual growth rate of 25.4 percent.
For updates on the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Olive Oil Industry Leaders Ask FDA for U.S. Standards
Courtesy California Olive Ranch
The American Olive Oil Producers Association, North American Olive Oil Association and Deoleo, the world’s largest olive oil producer, submitted a joint citizen petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to adopt enforceable, science-based olive oil standards.
The petition puts forward clear definitions for olive oil grades – extra virgin, virgin, and olive oil – that will help American consumers better understand and have confidence in the quality and authenticity of the olive oil they buy. This clarity will also lead to a better grasp of nutrition benefits at different price points.
For two years, AOOPA, Deoleo and NAOOA have collaborated on determining more stringent olive oil grading and labeling standards that will benefit everyone. The new standards, which the FDA would be empowered to enforce following a final ruling and public comment period, would mark the first time the federal government has adopted mandatory regulations for olive oil, and it’s a key step toward ensuring a more honest, fair, and competitive industry.
“For the first time, top-selling brands such as California Olive Ranch, Pompeian, Bertolli, Filippo Berio, Colavita, Star, Cobram Estate and other major producers have joined forces to drive standards that will help eliminate consumer confusion around one of the healthiest and most delicious foods they can eat. Stricter labeling practices will allow consumers to feel confident that the olive oil they buy will deliver the quality, value, and health benefits they expect,” said NAOOA Chairman Marco de Ceglie.
If approved by the FDA, the standards would give growers, producers and bottlers an edge in a highly competitive market, and it will instate practices that drive a more trustworthy industry, according to the groups. The current joint petition responds to FDA’s request for a robust and unified effort from the industry, and it addresses all relevant points of reference.
For more on this and other specialty food industry news, subscribe to Gourmet News.
