For further information, please
contact:
Deb Ahl
Anderson
Partners
(800)
551-9737
dahl@andersonpartners.com
www.andersonpartners.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
COCONUT WATER FROM CONCENTRATE
CONTRIBUTES 74% LESS GREENHOUSE GASES AND ‘NO SUGAR ADDED' LABELING
Lawrenceville,
N.J. (Feb. 27, 2014) - iTi Tropicals, Inc., an industry leader in high quality tropical and
exotic fruit puree and concentrates, says the growth trend of coconut water
concentrate will continue and feels the coconut business can have significant
economic value when virtually every part of the coconut palm is used.
"A coconut tree is called the ‘tree of
life' or the ‘tree of giving,'" states Gert van Manen, president of iTi
Tropicals, Inc. "The outer husk of a coconut, also known as the coir, can be
used in products such as floor mats, door mats, brushes, mattresses, etc. The
brown shell of a coconut can be used for fuel or activated carbon and the white
meat can either be processed into desiccated coconut, coconut cream, coconut
oil or virgin coconut oil. Then there is the coconut water, which is either
packaged in a Tetra Pak for the retail market or processed into coconut water
concentrate for shipment to export." van Manen goes on to say, "Why put all the
effort in growing coconuts for only the water-that's a waste."
There are a few coconut varieties that
are grown solely for water in places such as Sri Lanka and Dominican Republic.
The coconut water that is available from these varieties is a tiny fraction of
what would be needed to sustain a market for coconut water. Today most coconut
water comes from a fully ripened coconut, which is loaded with electrolytes.
"We think the cleanest, greenest and
most sustainable coconut water in the marketplace comes from brands that use
coconut water concentrate. One gallon of coconut water concentrate makes more
than 18 gallons of single-strength coconut water. To make, freeze and store
frozen coconut water concentrate does require extra energy, however, it takes
more than 18 ocean containers to transport single-strength coconut water versus
one container for coconut water concentrate. From an environmental standpoint,
it is best to import coconut water concentrate and to reconstitute coconut
water immediately prior to packaging," says van Manen.
When selecting a source for coconut
water, iTi Tropicals, Inc. urges customers to carry out authenticity testing to
make sure no sugars, additives and/or preservatives are added. "Personally, I love coconut water but I only drink the
brands that either clearly label no sugar added on the front of the packaging or
the brands that are made from concentrate," says van Manen. "We urge every
retailer to ask the brands to label no sugar added on their packaging. We
welcome initiatives like Fair trade, and will do our utmost to further this
initiative. But, first things first, we
want to help make sure that what is sold in the grocery stores is indeed authentic
and has no sugar added." van Manen continues, "At iTi Tropicals, nothing is
added to our coconut water concentrate-no sugars, no citric acid, no potassium
and no sulfur dioxide. We know where and how it is produced, from plantation to
coconut water concentrate, and we give our customers confidence in declaring
‘no sugar added' on their products."
For more information about iTi
Tropicals' coconut water concentrate, visit www.coconutwaterconcentrate.com.
About
iTi Tropicals
iTi Tropicals, Inc. is an independent
company headquartered in Lawrenceville, NJ. Its sole business is importing high
quality tropical and exotic fruit puree & concentrates. They are constantly
searching the globe for manufacturers who meet their high tropical and exotic
fruit standards. In business for over 25 years, iTi Tropicals has become one of
the leading US suppliers of processed exotic tropical fruits. Over time they
have established many long-standing relationships with their suppliers. These
relationships enable them to guarantee a reliable and quality supply of
tropical fruit for their customers. They also provide complete service with
their fruit products including the expertise of their in-house Food Scientist
with backgrounds in Quality Assurance and Product Development. iTi Tropicals
maintains an inventory of both frozen and aseptic tropical and exotic purees,
juices, and concentrates throughout the USA. Their focus is on products such
as: coconut cream, banana, guava, papaya, mango, passion fruit, pineapple,
Açaí, acerola, mangosteen, tamarind and since 2009, the groundbreaking coconut
water concentrate.
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