A Sunshine Coast company that is now exporting coconut water to more than 15 countries after starting out selling from the boot of a car is preparing to mark its 10th anniversary.
Founded in 2016, CocoCoast has grown into a $22 million business without spending money on traditional advertising.
The company was started by Damian Russell and Aaron Aslin, and remains a family-run operation nearly a decade later.
Mr Russell, who lives in Minyama with his wife Janelle, said the idea for the business came from trying to find better drink options for their two young children.
“We started the business back in 2016 because we were trying to be more conscious about what our kids, who were really little at the time, were eating and drinking, and we realised there weren’t many coconut waters that actually tasted great,” he said.
“In the early days, our office was our car and there were a lot of boot sales, packing samples ourselves and personally visiting retailers. We’d load the car with boxes and drive around talking to store owners. It was very grassroots, but it also meant we built real relationships with customers and retailers right from the start.
“Looking back, that period taught us resilience and gave us a really strong connection to the brand and to our customers.”
Like stories that inform, connect and celebrate the Sunshine Coast? So do we. Join an independent local news revolution by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed at the bottom of this article.
CocoCoast has now expanded to 13 flavours and is stocked nationally in retailers including Woolworths, IGA and Caltex.
Mr Russell said the company’s growth had focused on product quality rather than advertising.
“From the very beginning we focused on the one thing we felt really mattered: taste. If the product tasted incredible, people would talk about it and share it,” he said.
“That sounds simple but it became our entire strategy. Instead of spending money on billboards or big campaigns, we spent our time getting the cans into people’s hands, having conversations in store and letting word-of-mouth do the heavy lifting.
“That momentum has naturally extended into social media as well. Our community has grown through customers sharing CocoCoast with their friends, posting about the flavours they love and helping introduce the brand to new audiences online. It’s never been about polished advertising, it’s been about real people enjoying the product and spreading the word.
“We’ve always believed that if someone tries CocoCoast and loves it, they’ll tell their friends, their family and in some cases their local cafe. That organic momentum has been incredibly powerful for us and it’s really what built the brand.”
The business has remained deliberately lean as it has expanded.
“We’ve always tried to keep things simple and stay very close to the product and the brand,” Mr Russell said.
“CocoCoast has always been lean and nimble and that structure has helped us stay agile and authentic as we’ve grown. Our growth is sustainable and intentional and it also means decisions are made quickly and with the long-term vision in mind.
“Our kids even play a role as our ‘chief tasting officers’: they’re brutally honest when it comes to new flavours, which has actually been incredibly helpful.”
Mr Russell said several milestones helped the CocoCoast team realise the brand had real momentum.
“One of the first moments was when our initial shipment of coconut water sold out within four weeks. That gave us confidence that people were really responding to the product,” he said.
“Another big turning point was when Woolworths started stocking CocoCoast just two years after we launched. That national distribution showed us the brand could scale.
“From there we started seeing international interest as well. In fact, our first overseas opportunity came from someone in New Zealand who tried the product, loved it and immediately approached us to distribute CocoCoast in NZ.
“Those moments made us realise this wasn’t just a small local idea anymore and that it can succeed on a global stage.”
As CocoCoast approaches its 10th anniversary, the focus is on further international growth and developing new flavours.
“The next chapter is really about building on what we’ve already proven works,” Mr Russell said.
“We’ll continue expanding internationally while staying true to the core principles that built CocoCoast: great taste, simple ingredients and a brand that feels genuinely fun and approachable.
“We’re also continuing to innovate with flavours. We now have one of the largest coconut water flavour ranges in the world, with 13 options including our newer additions like coffee.
“At the same time, we’re very conscious about protecting the culture and simplicity that made CocoCoast successful in the first place.”
