Australian beverage exporter CocoCoast is targeting A$200 million in annual revenue within five years as it expands overseas and returns to the US market following an 18-month pause linked to uncertainty around import tariffs and landed costs.
The company, which describes itself as the producer of the world’s largest coconut water range, currently generates about A$25 million in annual revenue and sells around 50 million cans, or 25 million litres, each year across 20 European and Asia-Pacific markets.
CocoCoast said it has grown revenue by 53% over the past year and has secured new distribution agreements across its offshore markets. Its products are also now supplied to the World Health Organization.
Co-founder Damian Russell said the company has appointed a new Seattle-based distributor to initially target Washington and Oregon, after distributors identified market gaps created by offshore beverage brands withdrawing or reducing their US presence.
“These gaps have helped create the right conditions for our brand to re-enter the market,” Russell said.
“The challenge in the US wasn’t demand but the uncertainty around what a shipment was ultimately going to cost when it landed.”
Russell said tariff changes can affect the landed cost of food and beverage products through factors including manufacturing location and the origin of ingredients, packaging and other components.
“We made the decision not to force the issue. We are now coming back with a new distribution partner at a time when distributors are telling us some offshore brands have pulled back or left altogether, creating sizeable gaps in the market,” he said.
The new distributor has purchased CocoCoast’s first two containers for the US return, with the company targeting approximately US$500,000 in first-year US sales. The initial focus will be the Pacific Northwest before considering wider geographic distribution.
CocoCoast also plans to launch on Amazon US within six months of its first shipments arriving, while the company said it has a database of about 600 US consumers who have requested notifications about the product’s return.
“We still receive messages from people asking when they can buy CocoCoast in the US again, so we are not rebuilding the market from a standing start,” Russell said.
The company is also monitoring trade disruption between the US and Canada for potential opportunities, although Russell said there are currently no Canadian deals in the pipeline.
“Trade disruption can change supply chains quite quickly,” he said. “If tariffs make existing products more expensive or difficult to source, retailers and distributors naturally start looking for alternatives and ways to diversify their supply.”
CocoCoast’s international expansion forms part of a broader five-year plan that includes a target of A$60 million in annual revenue from the UK and Europe, alongside availability in more than 7,500 retail outlets across the two regions.
Russell said the company would pursue international growth selectively, with a focus on establishing demand before expanding into larger retail networks.
“Our five-year ambition is to reach A$200 million. That is a substantial increase from where we are today, but the biggest opportunities available to us now are in markets many times larger than Australia,” he said.
CocoCoast currently sells across European and Asia-Pacific markets, with further expansion planned through existing and new distributors. In the UK, the company expects to launch through Amazon within around six weeks as it builds consumer sales history to support broader retail distribution.
“Coconut water has become a mainstream category in Australia, whereas in a number of European markets it is still emerging,” Russell said.
“We will measure success by repeat purchase, rate of sale and profitable market depth. The aim is to build sustainable markets rather than simply add more flags to the map,” he said.
