Dive Brief:
- Vita Coco-maker All Market Inc. has debuted a new brand, Coco Community. The company calls it its first step into the "artisanal coconut water" segment.
- Harmless Harvest has led the artisanal coconut water market, which uses high-pressure processing, but Coco Community will use flash pasteurization rather than HPP.
- Coco Community products will also travel through a refrigerated distribution system, which wasn't needed for Vita Coco and is another change in route to market for All Market's new brand.
Dive Insight:
The decision to forgo HPP and instead choose flash pasteurization is a departure from the current trend among high-end beverage producers, as categories like cold-pressed juices and cold brew coffee report fast growth. Manufacturers have turned to HPP as a processing method that doesn't require the addition of preservatives and other chemicals to maintain quality of the product during the processing phase. This comes as consumers demand more natural products,
All Market's decision was more about safety and is a precautionary measure until the company finds "a proven method of processing raw coconut water that’s both safe and scalable," All Market CEO Mike Kirban told BevNET.
Manufacturers are looking for ways to incorporate natural ingredients and update their processing methods to provide consumers with clean label products. But they can't do so at the expense of food safety. It brings up whether other food or beverage segments also won't be able to employ HPP due to safety concerns — and if so, which ones.