| His second chance at winning a 17-year startup rivalry |
| | Good morning,
For almost a decade, Mike Rampolla was out of the game.
In 2004, Rampolla founded coconut water brand Zico, launching one of the more underrated business rivalries of the decade against Michael Kirban’s coconut water brand, Vita Coco. Both companies launched in the same year, in New York City, and quickly began knocking off each other’s strategies. The two brands--and founders--found themselves constantly going toe to toe, eventually becoming the top two companies in a U.S. market now worth $1.2 billion.
After nine years, Rampolla fulfilled a dream he’d held since the very beginning by selling his company to beverage giant Coca-Cola. Then, two things happened. First, Zico's sales slid under Coke's ownership for years until last October when word finally leaked that the company planned to discontinue the coconut water brand. And second, oddly enough, shortly after the sale went public, Kirban and Rampolla became real-life friends.
It’s a new development in an old rivalry reignited: On New Year’s Eve, Rampolla closed a deal to re-purchase Zico from Coke and re-engage in the coconut water business. Read our story to learn how Rampolla’s return could mark the greatest challenge of both entrepreneurs’ careers. |
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