Startup CPG Newswire:
Once Upon A Coconut Promotes Matt Merson to President

PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Mick Olinik for Once Upon A Coconut

ORLANDO, FL (APRIL 2025) — Once Upon a Coconut has promoted Matt Merson to President. Merson joined the company in 2024 as Chief Sales & Strategy Officer and has been central to the brand’s retail expansion, including its launch into Costco warehouses across the Southeast and Texas and its presence in more than 6,000 retail locations nationwide.

In his new role, Merson takes on broader responsibility across commercial, operational, and strategic functions, including oversight of the recently acquired Punch’d Energy brand.

“Matt has been a force for this organization from the moment he walked in the door,” said John Chiorando, CEO of Once Upon a Coconut. “He brings the rare combination of big-brand experience and founder-level urgency, and he’s earned every bit of this.”

Merson brings experience from Vitamin Water and Zico, where he built distribution networks and retail partnerships. He takes the helm as Once Upon a Coconut continues to scale across retail and e-commerce channels.

“I’m honored to step into this role at a moment when we have so much momentum,” said Merson. “We’re in the right retailers, building the right relationships, and now expanding into new categories.”

About Once Upon a Coconut

Once Upon a Coconut is a premium coconut water brand launched in 2020, sourcing young green coconuts from Vietnam and packaging them in eco-friendly slim aluminum cans. Available in over 6,000 retail locations nationwide, on Amazon, and at onceuponacoconut.com, the brand offers bold flavors with clean ingredients and no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Once Upon a Coconut donates 10% of profits from each case sold to nonprofit partners including the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida.a

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