{"id":14048,"date":"2025-05-04T11:20:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T17:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ouf.jhy.mybluehost.me\/?p=14048"},"modified":"2025-05-04T11:20:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T17:20:34","slug":"40m-pickleball-players-drive-once-upon-a-coconuts-mlp-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14048","title":{"rendered":"40M Pickleball Players Drive Once Upon a Coconut\u2019s MLP Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Premium coconut water brand\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.onceuponacoconut.com\/\">Once Upon a Coconut<\/a>\u00a0has been named the\u00a0official\u00a0<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.majorleaguepickleball.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Major League Pickleball (MLP)<\/a> coconut water brand in a multi-year partnership to promote<\/span>\u00a0healthy hydration and sustainability in one of America\u2019s fastest-growing sports. Announced on\u00a0April 17, 2025, the deal positions the brand at the heart of MLP\u2019s\u00a010 regular-season events, playoffs, and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.majorleaguepickleball.net\/\">MLP Cup<\/a>\u00a0in November, beginning with the season opener in\u00a0Orlando, Florida, from\u00a0April 24\u201327, 2025.<\/p>\n<h3>Partnership Details and Brand Synergy<\/h3>\n<p>The collaboration will see Once Upon a Coconut provide its electrolyte-rich, no-sugar-added coconut water to\u00a0MLP athletes and fans\u00a0across all events. The brand\u2019s\u00a0six flavors\u2014including Premium, Pineapple, Chocolate, and Energy\u2014will be highlighted as a healthier alternative to sugary sports drinks, aligning with pickleball\u2019s active, health-conscious community.<\/p>\n<p>John Chiorando, CEO of Once Upon a Coconut, emphasized the shared values:<br \/>\n<em>\u201cMLP embodies energy, competition, and excellence\u2014core principles we champion. This partnership lets us connect with millions who prioritize wellness and sustainability.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Pickleball\u2019s Meteoric Rise<\/h3>\n<p>MLP, founded in\u00a02021, has surged in popularity, merging with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ppatour.com\/\">PPA Tour<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a02024\u00a0under the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unitedpickleballassociation.com\/\">United Pickleball Association (UPA)<\/a>. The league now features\u00a022 teams\u00a0and over\u00a0100 top athletes, drawing crowds to its high-energy events. The sport\u2019s growth mirrors broader trends:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>40 million U.S. players\u00a0in 2025, up from 8.9 million in 2023 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfia.org\/\">Sports &amp; Fitness Industry Association<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>25% annual revenue growth\u00a0for pickleball equipment and apparel since 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This expansion has attracted sponsorships from brands like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.skechers.com\/\">Skechers<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bubly.com\/\">Bubly<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chickennpickle.com\/\">Chicken N Pickle<\/a>, with Once Upon a Coconut joining to tap into the sport\u2019s\u00a0$2.5 billion\u00a0economic impact.<\/p>\n<h3>Once Upon a Coconut\u2019s Mission-Driven Growth<\/h3>\n<p>Launched in\u00a02020, Once Upon a Coconut has carved a niche with its\u00a0sustainable practices\u00a0and\u00a0social impact:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Eco-Friendly Packaging: Slim aluminum cans reduce plastic waste.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenspark.io\/\">Greenspark Partnership<\/a>: Plants a tree for every case sold.<\/li>\n<li>Community Support: Donates\u00a010% of profits\u00a0to nonprofits like the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dsffl.org\/\">Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/\">NAMI<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The brand\u2019s roster of investors\u2014including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.daymondjohn.com\/\">Shark Tank\u2019s Daymond John<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gronknation.com\/\">NFL star Rob Gronkowski<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.garybrecka.com\/\">biochemist Gary Brecka<\/a>\u2014has fueled its expansion to\u00a06,000+ retail stores\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/\">Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Strategic Timing and Market Trends<\/h3>\n<p>The MLP deal capitalizes on two key trends:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Health-Conscious Hydration: Consumers increasingly shun sugary drinks, with the\u00a0global coconut water market\u00a0projected to grow\u00a015% annually\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.grandviewresearch.com\/\">Grand View Research<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Pickleball\u2019s Demographic Appeal: The sport\u2019s player base skews toward\u00a0ages 18\u201344, aligning with Once Upon a Coconut\u2019s target audience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>What\u2019s Next?<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a02025 MLP season\u00a0will culminate in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.majorleaguepickleball.net\/\">MLP Finals NYC<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0MLP Cup, offering Once Upon a Coconut broad visibility. The brand also plans to launch limited-edition flavors and fan engagement activations, further embedding itself in pickleball culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Premium coconut water brand\u00a0Once Upon a Coconut\u00a0has been named the\u00a0official\u00a0Major League Pickleball (MLP) coconut water brand in a&hellip;","protected":false},"author":219894229,"featured_media":14049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","pad_hide_post_author":"","csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1460],"tags":[4067,1725,1724],"class_list":{"0":"post-14048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle","8":"tag-major-league-pickleball","9":"tag-once-upon-a-coconut","10":"tag-pickleball","11":"cs-entry","12":"cs-video-wrap"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - 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