MANILA, Philippines — US best-selling coconut juice brand Vita Coco partnered with the Philippines’ leading fruit beverage exporter AgriNurture Inc. (ANI) to build a new coconut juice production facility in Pili, Camarines Sur.

The new US$5-million manufacturing facility will have an eventual output capacity of 36 million liters of coconut juice each year. Vita Coco’s sales for 2011 is estimated at US$100 million, and the new facility with its 500,000 daily capacity will help meet the growing demand for coconut juice. Over the past 18 months, Coconut juice has become the most popular new beverage for professional athletes and celebrities all over the world, with pop superstar Madonna also having become an investor in the Vita Coco brand.

Construction on the new facility, which sits on a two-hectare property in Barangay San Jose in Pili, will be completed in May 2012. The partnership is seen to significantly add to national export revenue, stimulate the local economy and increase employment opportunities for farmers and local residents. The local government of Camarines Sur hosted the groundbreaking ceremony. Governor L-Ray Villafuerte, executives from Vita Coco and ANI, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Puyat as well as local suppliers of coco juice graced the occasion.

Vita Coco® is the brand that started the United States’ craze for fresh coconut water. In the US Vita Coco is sold at over 20,000 retailers including Whole Foods Market, GNC, Kroger, Publix, Ralph’s, Stop & Shop/Giant, select Costco and Wal-Mart stores and many chain and independent groceries. It is also sold in major US airports and on university campuses, as well as online at Amazon.com.

The brand is available in seven flavors: Pure, Pineapple, Peach & Mango, Açaí & Pomegranate, Tangerine, Passion Fruit and new Tropical Fruit, a flavor co-created with Rihanna, the face of Vita Coco’s recent advertising campaign.