Former Scottish International Rory Lawson on CocoPro the World’s 1st High Protein Coconut Water
We catch up with Rory Lawson former Scottish Rugby captain and now Operations Director of the world’s first high protein coconut water, CocoPro. Transitioning into the world of business after a successful international rugby career his role at CocoPro has enabled him to take on a new challenge launching a product on the market that finds a solution to the growing demand for convenient health foods.
CocoPro is a combination of pure coconut water and premium whey isolate protein and provides the ultimate recovery for your body when it needs it most.
Q) What are the key components of the drink?
The health and nutrition market is huge, in the last year alone the category saw a 32% market growth. Two of the top trending drinks in the market are coconut water and ready-to-drink protein drinks.
CocoPro is the first offering to bridge these two markets. The public are more aware than ever about the benefits of protein as part of a balanced diet. In combining 20g of premium protein with the rehydration properties of coconut water, we have created what we believe is the ultimate convenient recovery drink and healthy snack when on the move.
The damaging effects of excessive sugar in our diets is something which we have regularly seen hitting the headlines of late. We are increasingly aware that a number of seemingly ‘healthy’ alternatives and ‘low fat’ products simply contain added sugar (in various guises).
This is an avenue we were adamant we wouldn’t go down. The development process may have been lengthily and, at times, hugely frustrating but we wanted the end product to be the perfect combination of quality ingredients, refreshing taste and vital recovery components, simply adding sugar for taste wasn’t an option.
As an alternative CocoPro uses stevia, a natural sweetener made from a South American plant that the health and fitness industry is raving about. Having played sport professionally I have seen first hand the role that correct nutrition and recovery can have to a career… the margins are so fine that it can be the difference between finding yourself without a club contract and lining up singing your countries National Anthem on the world stage.
There are a lot of products which are marketed incredibly well but their claims are somewhat far-fetched. The key thing about CocoPro is it is made of premium ingredients where no corners have been cut in the production process, so you know you are getting a world class product that tastes great!
Q) What has the reaction been to CocoPro?
One of our first big wins for was having a major international rugby team buy our product in November on their Northern Hemisphere tour. Both the strength & conditioning coaches and nutritionist saw it as the best product on the market for their athletes’ needs for gym, training and test match recovery! Having only launched onto the market in October this gave the CocoPro team a huge boost that we had developed product that people will love. The public reaction has been fantastic. It is such a unique offering the the buzz around the launch has been fantastic – we’ve even managed to convert people who don’t like coconut water!
One of the key challenges to overcome has been the misunderstanding of protein. However, the general public are becoming increasingly educated in nutrition, moving away from the previous perceptions that protein is for building muscles, with more consumers becoming aware that it is a vital part of the diet, whether you are exercising or not. It is essentially the building block of the human body! One serving of CocoPro provides 20g of premium whey protein which is optimum inclusion for body uptake post exercise.
The CocoPro idea came about from seeing a number of athletes, particularly in America, pouring coconut water into their shaker with protein powder, looking to capitalise on the hydrating benefits of coconut water and the recovery components of whey protein – but judging by some of the facial expressions pulled by them when drinking the mix the taste didn’t hit the spot!
The product development process of CocoPro was lengthy and patience-testing but the end product make it all worthwhile! The feedback on CocoPro has been overwhelmingly positive, launching onto Ocado.com last month the demand for product saw them sell out within 24hours of being made available online. It will also be stocked in both Holland & Barrett and GNC in the first two weeks of March. As well as these retailers we are available in London’s 5 star gyms – Equinox, Reebok Sports Club, City Athletic and Matt Roberts PT Studios. Stakeholders in the fitness industry with a wealth of knowledge have been keen to stock CocoPro as quickly as possible which is a testament to the product.
The transition from playing professional sport to the ‘real world’ isn’t an easy one. I have been lucky to stay connected to rugby with my media work and what I have quickly realised is that the key component to success in both sport and business is good people. I am surrounded by great people with an ambition that is aligned with mine at CocoPro… having an amazing product helps too.
