This week, BevNET, the leading beverage-oriented media company, named ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water's newest flavor, ZICO Chocolate Coconut Water, the 2011 Product of the Year.

ZICO Chocolate Coconut Water was awarded this distinction over other beverage brands both within and outside of the coconut water category, including the $1 billion energy drink category and the functional beverages category.

"While most brands in the coconut water category have been focused on either traditional or tropical fruit flavors, we decided to take a risk and create something completely different—the first chocolate-flavored coconut water," says Mark Rampolla, CEO and founder of ZICO Coconut Water and recipient of BevNET's 2010 Innovator of the Year award.

"The risk paid off, as we not only received BevNET's product of the year award, but ZICO Chocolate has also quickly become our number two selling flavor, flying off the shelves of national retailers like Target, Whole Foods, and Safeway." 

In their original product review, BevNet stated that ZICO Chocolate had "a very unique and, well, addictive flavor." In awarding this distinction, BevNet wrote that ZICO Chocolate Coconut Water is "one of those products that is almost universally liked—even people who don't like coconut water seem to make an exception for this one."