Discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, Hea Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shan in the studio.
Coming up, move over milk tea.
This summer is all about that clear cool tropical goodness, coconut water.
From Jim rats to the 9 to 5 crew, urban dwellers are stocking up for that healthy hydration glow up.
But is it just hype or is coconut water really the clean living staple people say it is?
Let's crack open the can on this growing trend.
And curious about social shifts, tech twists or the mysteries of life?
Let us talk about it.
Email us at roundtablepodcastatqq .com.
Emails are fine but voice memos get extra love.
Our podcast listeners can find us at Rend Table China on Apple Podcast. Now let's move on to the next topic discussion today.
Coconut water is the clear fluid inside coconuts and it is having a moment.
Once a novelty thirst quencher on sandy beaches, coconut water and its clean label cousins now fuel daily routines from morning workouts to afternoon pick -me -ups.
As the mercury climbs, China's beverage industry is riding a whole new health wave. Think natural ingredients, clean labels and vibes over calories.
Today we're breaking down the thirst for health in every sip and whether this liquid gold lives up to its wellness reputation.
So how popular is coconut water in China these days?
Oh, wow. The, that industry here in China alone is growing rapidly as shown in the retail sales.
Well, that's, um, here's a calculation that can prove to it.
So the retail sales grew from 102 million US dollars in 2019 to over 1 billion US dollars in 2024 and are projected to reach nearly 1 .4 billion US dollars by 2025 here in China.
And also globally, as driven by the health -conscious trend, the global retail sales of coconut water grew from roughly 2 .5 billion US dollars in 2019 to nearly 5 billion US dollars in 2024 with a compound annual growth rate of about 15 percent!
And that's pretty impressive.
And just to prove how popular it is, there's one recent news that says on April 2025, the coconut water brand IF, it actually made headlines when its parent company filed for an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
usage. So despite having 46 employees, they managed to ride on this wave of health -cautious consumer trends and generated around 160 million US dollars from the Chinese market in 2024 alone.
That's very impressive, one coconut brand.
Nowadays, we see a lot of coworkers in our very office that's having such a bottle of coconut water you know packaged with a green looking fresh looking coconut on this outside decoration just on the table everywhere so yeah.
Yeah well to give you a little bit of background how this topic discussion was decided.
When there's six people on a team and then suddenly you realize four of them have all had the coconut water that day or the day before and we were like okay so it's not just me then I wasn't a part of that realization in that moment but I drink coconut water maybe two or three times a week yeah it's really yummy I mean if we were wanna if we want to look for reasons as to why people are loving coconut water these days big here in China big around the world number one for me it tastes great.
It's really good, but then it's also low in calories.
It's only about 19 calories per what about a hundred milliliters.
It's fat -free, it's cholesterol free.
If you're looking to swap out a drink that's high in sugar or maybe some processed sports drinks that have a lot of sugar, but you're looking for something similar then coconut water can be a great choice.
There's lots of potassium it's good for your cardiovascular health, it has antioxidants and minerals vitamin C magnesium and this is all good for your digestive functions and just your body as a whole so there's lots of reasons why people are jumping on the coconut water train yeah well you sure after observing the market why do you think that it's in recent years that coconut water has really caught on in China well there's some to me it's because the taste is really good and I think I remember we were talking about this on Roundtable previously, probably with Honglin, that young people tend
to not drink water only, but tend to prefer those juice were, not juice, but water, but with flavor in it.
So, why not go the traditional tea route?
I mean, they're putting everything in tea nowadays, even for coconut water and it already has its tartly sweet flavor but we top that with coffee, with cream plus coffee.
That's kind of like a common product among the chain coffee brands these days and also coconut water plus some Chinese, traditional Chinese medicine herbs.
I've seen that too.
Quite mind -breaking but I'm not that type of people who will try it but even though it's just something that young people is chasing nowadays.
Yeah and some people don't like tea I don't like tea which is, I'm in the wrong place for that I know.
Some people don't like water even right I know people who don't even enjoy drinking water so this is just another alternative I think and again all of those health benefits that we we talked about before but then there's just the shift isn't there there's the shift in I guess marketing and a shift in consumer preferences towards this functional beverage where you're drinking something that can also do something for you.
It can help out your health.
It can help out with minerals and probiotics.
We talked about that on Roundtable.
Plant extracts, vitamins, what have you.
This functional beverage industry is growing and customers are liking it.
Yeah, and there's definitely a huge trend here in China and it's often associated with maybe the middle -income bracket.
you have your avocado on toast or avocado milkshake and then you definitely have your milk, excuse me, coconut water.
It's kind of like a label in a way, you know after your gym workout and then these are in you know part of the whole outfit.
And once you know, any - It's like a status symbol.
In a way it is. Although it's, I mean if you have like, Oh yeah, and the famous yoga pants, and I'm not gonna name the brand, and then, you know, it's a certain image, and then I think coconut water has migrated its way to that set deal.
Social media is hilarious.
Look at how amazing I am!
I'm drinking coconut water in my yoga pants.
Oh my goodness. I sound awful.
Life is great. I'm sure it's marketed differently on YouTube, but yeah, that's the image now, isn't it?
because I was very astonished to find out just this morning that coconut water is actually commonly considered as a type of functional drink given that it contains rich electrolytes and low calories and sugars and and antioxidants and stuff like that that not only quench your thirst but beyond but provide things that's beyond basic hydration or nutrition and it helps you to say stay hydrated but on top of that it helps you to believe that you can perform better by drinking it, comparing with simply drinking water.
Right. And is coconut water all healthy?
Because that's kind of what you guys have been saying.
And is there anything to be cautious about coconut water?
Not all coconut waters are created equal, I guess.
Coconut water has sugar, by the way.
It just has different amounts, depending on the coconut itself.
the, what makes up the coconut water can vary depending on how old the coconut is, the sugars though, pardon me, the sugars though in a coconut come from natural, they're natural sugars, right?
But if you start the, you mentioned it already Yu -Shan, coconut water plus.
Or coconut plus, that's where things can get a little unhealthy or coconut water plus coconut, You know, milk, a drink like that, or juices, or sugar.
You said coffee. People put coconut water in their coffee.
Sometimes they do. Oh, I've never heard of that before.
Is it good? I've never tried it.
I don't like it, but I've known colleagues who do.
But in general your average unflavored pure coconut water does contain less sugar than processed drinks.
But again still natural sugars.
And it's not for everyone, right?
if patients are struggling with diabetes, for example, or people who are mindful of their diet.
You don't wanna be drinking coconut water, you know, five times a day, in large amounts.
That probably isn't your best option either.
See? That's important for people to know.
I checked with one of our coworkers who'd been just drinking like a cow.
No, that's not a cow!
What drinks coconuts?
Like he was really gobbling and I was like, you know, there's sugar in there, right?
And he's like, what?
You know, because coconut water doesn't equal to water, and then it's kind of important to remember that.
So what do you see as the, I suppose, big trends of the beverage industry these days that stand right next to coconut water?
Across the beverage landscape, the surge in coconut water just underscores a fundamental pivot toward the clean labeled functional beverages that are blended with blended into natural ingredients and that is to target healthy consumers who pay attention to their healthy benefits were fortified with vitamins and minerals probiotics as we talked about in previous shows where plan extras as well.
All of these are well packaged into these beverages and being marketed as a way that it's going to do good to your health.
So if you want that lifestyle, if you want to try it with your yoga pants on and following all the YouTube lifestyle videos and become part of that group, then yeah, sure.
Come buy it. Again though, remember there's lots of natural sugars.
There's about 11 to 12 grams of sugar per cup of coconut water, the calories are low.
It's about 45 to 60, that's from an Ohio State University paper.
You're still gonna find lower amounts of sugar than you'll find in some sports drinks.
As a post workout drink, it has its benefits too.
That's when I drink it.
I said I have it two or three times a week, after the gym, tastes amazing.
But yeah, be careful with your intake.
That's what they said in the Ohio State University paper as well is yeah don't replace it fully with water yeah and in in gyms in that gym that i go i commonly see Chinese people not bringing coconut water but traditional chinese drinks such as those that has red bean barley and you know just tonic water that has traditional Chinese medicine or herbs mixed inside gochi berries something like that yeah and and also red bean water that that one is like so popular.
I see it every single time I was in the fingers.
Oh, yeah. My wife loves that.
No, thank you. So, yeah, people just choose different beverages that's not just water and believe in their goodness and their health.
So coconut water is just part of that mechanism, I believe.
The examples you guys have given, they're all pretty natural stuff.
I think that's pretty good, but with a lot of the other functional drinks out there in the market, you have no idea what's packed into those things and in comparison the natural option sounds just a lot better.
Read the labels though, check the labels.
Oh definitely that's good to know.
Coconut water might tick all the right boxes natural, low -calorie, clean, but let's not pretend.
It's a silver bullet in a market where healthy often means heavily marketed staying smart here is some is where we can start with reading the ingredients list and labels coming up next let's have a Who's got a question for Roundtable?
Hi, Roundtable China Members!
This is Susie from Chongqing.
Today, I want to share some thoughts about friendship.
This idea came to me during an English activity a while ago when we were talking about friendship.
Most people were discussing how important friends are and how they get along, But the teacher said something that really struck with me, he believed that good friends should not live together.
Everyone has different habits, right?
Like some people sleep early while others stay up late, or some are just super tidy while others are more relaxed about things.
And those little differences when you are living together can lead to conflict, which might damage even the best friendships I've experienced this myself I had a roommate who was also a close friend We were really compatible no matter in terms of the personality or the outlook But her loud snoring at night seriously messed with my sleep.
I tried to adjust, but after a while, I was just so exhausted and stressed.
I didn't know how to bring it up without hurting her feelings.
And when I finally hinted at it, she thought I was just so sensitive.
That misunderstanding created a rift between us.
And eventually, we drifted apart, I chose to move out of the dormitory, and it was just so heartbreaking.
But it taught me a big lesson.
Sometimes a certain distance between friends is necessary to maintain friendship.
Now, I really believe that it's better for friends to have their own space, it doesn't mean we care for them any less.
It is just about respecting boundaries and being mindful of the little things that could create unnecessary tension.
Anyway, I just want to share this with you because I thought it might resonate with others, too.
Before I go, I just want to say thank you for everything you do, and your podcast brings so much joy and wisdom to my days.
I hope all of you continue to do amazing work and have lots of happiness in your life.
And thanks for listening.
Thank you Susie from Chongqing.
Ok, guys, what do you have to say?
Well, Susie, in my case I was the snoring roommate once when I was sharing...
Wait, did you live with Susie?
No, not Susie in particular.
But a roommate of mine whom I've shared a dormitory with for the four years of our undergraduate years and also one year of our postgraduate in the UK.
We shared a 12 kilometers small, tiny dormitory and I remember her hitting on my bed in the middle of the night and hissing at me saying, shut up.
I remember that shut up still today.
So Suzie, I totally get you and I'm so shocked that you've already understood this at your age, that the idea even the best friends, they shouldn't live together is actually grounded in the reality that living together reveals the size of a person that even close friendship might not prepare you for.
So yeah, go on with it, Susie.
It's a good lesson that you've learned this.
I lived with my best friend for a year.
Are you still friends at all?
That was a great year.
It was awesome. It was awesome.
It totally depends on your personalities, right?
There's no definitive answer to this.
Sometimes it will work.
Sometimes it won't work, But I think we all learned an important lesson here today.
Find out how much they snore.
Or if they're clean.
Before you agree to live in the same room with them.
Yeah I mean he and I, we had a great time.
But our circumstances were different because when I lived with my best friend, he's my best friend from middle school, and yeah to answer your question, he's still my best friend now.
But we moved to Korea together, so we had that bond on top of the bond that we already had, so that made things a whole lot easier.
I had a great experience with it.
Okay, well I think it's true that living with friends do bring up some challenges.
And, Susie, you sound pretty young to me, you're probably still a college student.
And as a stages in life, and our perspectives can shift in unexpected ways.
And maybe a dream I'm gonna share about here?
I had this, and I don't think it's that easy to realize as I originally imagined, but hear me out.
I can't help but think about the future and how things will change as we get older.
I mean after we're 60 or 70, I don't know.
A lot of us, especially in the millennial and Gen Z generations may not have been married or have kids around.
So there's something really comforting about the idea of Friends coming together after retirement.
That's what I'm thinking about already.
Sharing a space and supporting one another.
I won't lie, your message did wrap a wet blanket to my hopeful vision, but hey, who knows what life will bring.
If we are lucky enough to get there, maybe necessity will make us put aside the feeling of inconvenience as you have, so perfectly demonstrated and turn my retirement dream into a reality.
Who can predict what we'll need and when we're that bit older, thanks again for making me think a little bit deeper on this and it's always great to hear your thoughts.
And that brings us to the end of today's show.
We'll see you next time.
