Symbiosis: Truly Raw Coconut Water

Symbiosis “Truly Raw Coconut Water” is something that sounds impossible: no heat, no high pressure processing (HPP), no radiation, no preservatives, not from concentrate, shelf stable (for four months), FDA compliant and USDA Organic certified. Produced by coconut water supplier Cocos Enterprises, this is a sterile product produced under aseptic conditions and aims to be the next level of raw coconut water (supplanting HPP, of course). From a taste perspective, what the company has created is truly impressive and might be the best tasting coconut water that’s out there right now. Aside from the inevitable questions about how they do this and whether or not it’s credible, we do wonder about the scalability of it all. Still, it’s hard to argue with the flavor of this product as it tastes as close to raw as anything we’ve ever had from a bottle. Speaking of the bottle, the 8 oz. PET package has a black-colored cap and label. We feel as though it needs a little branding help. For us, the name and design could be a bit more approachable, although we do appreciate that the company hasn't copied the other brands out there (there’s certainly no shortage of that). Furthermore, from looking at the bottle it’s hard to really tell what the deal is with the product. Is it just another HPP brand? Or what is it? There’s a small list on the back telling you what the product isn’t, but it doesn’t really get into detail about what it is. If the product is going to challenge the market with something new and better, we feel strongly that this needs to be part of what the product is all about. Overall, the beverage has an impressive taste and an innovative approach; it just needs help with how the company packages it up and communicates it to the consumer.