Wharton Grads Turn to Local Brewer to Help Them Transform Idea of Spiked Coconut Water into Reality

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Osena
Osena founders Chris Allen, left, and Vicente Surraco.

Wharton graduates Chris Allen and Vicente Surraco came up with what they hope is a billion-dollar idea.

Now what? They turned to Ethan Buckman of Stickman Brews in Royersford to help them turn spiked coconut water into reality, writes Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

While sharing an apartment in 2019, the pair wanted to create a startup.

They settled on the canned-beverage industry.

They noticed that hard seltzer was growing rapidly, creating a multibillion-dollar market in under five years by touting its no-sugar, low-calorie, and low-carb aspects.

“We asked, ‘What would be an upgrade to this? What would serve this consumer even better?’” said Allen.

They landed on coconut water, another billion-dollar industry, and began brewing the drink at home, but soon they realized they needed help. So they enlisted Buckman, who tweaked their creation to the point where they had a recipe for production.

The pandemic delayed their original launch date by nearly a year, but last week they started selling Osena. This lightly carbonated drink with 100 calories, no sugar, and five percent alcohol is now available in bottle shops and supermarkets throughout the Philadelphia region.

Read more about Osena in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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