Only recently did I jump on the coconut water train with a vengeance. I mean, YUM. I love that stuff. I really just want to buy coconuts and drill right on into them to avoid the middleman.
Like these guys: Harmless Harvest. From all I can see, they are a great company, try to do everything sustainably, have a great attitude and a good business, and their water is supposedly the best-tasting, hands down. It's not heated, it's pressure processed for a good shelf life, totally organic, raw.
But, I'm sorry, guys. You can't call yourself harmless if you are using plastic bottles. Just can't be. Glass is harmless. Plastic is almost never harmless in the big picture. I understand their process requires the use of plastic bottles, with the pressure and all. But, no. Plastic in the environment, plastic bottle, is not harmless. I have NO shades of grey on that one. They look like nice guys. They seem to want to do their best. But I will avoid any product that is in plastic. I e-mailed their company to try to get some information from them. They were not terribly responsive. I gave up. I am sure this is delicious. But I would rather just flat-out buy the darn coconut than add more plastic to the planet.
Just don't call yourself "harmless" unless you are, completely and totally. No excuses. Wonderful Harvest? Tasty Harvest? There are lots of Adjectives. Harmless, however, is not the one you should be using. It's catchy, sure, but it's false.
I'll maintain this position until I hear otherwise from Justin and Douglas. Sorry, guys. None shall pass.
Hmm... there's some Mamma Chia on the shelf right nest to it... I'll buy that.
It's in glass. And I love me my chia seeds.
Hi Rhonda- Thanks for your interest in our coconut water and sorry that you had difficulty reaching us. Did you try emailing or calling? We would really like to make sure nothing's falling through the cracks, so we appreciate your feedback.
ReplyDeleteWe totally understand your feelings about plastic and it's not a decision we made lightly. We talk about our use of plastic on an almost daily basis, looking to see if there's a better option for us. Like you said, we've chosen to maintain a raw product by utilizing a high pressure system that is not compatible with glass. There are additional questions about the carbon footprint of making and transporting heavy glass, but the pressure system is the clincher for us.
The heatless pressure system we use inhibits microbiological growth, allowing for a longer shelf life while maintaining the organoleptic and nutritional aspects that you love so much in a freshly cracked coconut.
We are working on new packaging from rPET plastic (100% post consumer, no virgin plastic), understanding that some people will never buy our coconut water because of the packaging, even with this change. It's your choice, and we completely understand. If you would like to talk about this more please call us at 347-467-0733 or email info@harmlessharvest.com. You can also read more about the how we're doing business differently at www.harmlessharvest.com
Just Say No to plastic. http://5gyres.org
ReplyDeleteOh, I've been drinking coconut water for about a decade now. Back when I started drinking it, it wasn't all over the place in supermarkets! The only places to get it were either from the coconut or the canned juices sold in international supermarkets, which I avoided because they weren't raw and had added sugar. So given my experience opening actual coconuts, I've never seen the point in paying 3 times as much or more for the bottled kind, which usually doesn't taste as good (granted I haven't tried this particular brand, which looks promising aside from the plastic). And the cheapest place to get them is Asian markets, for $1.50 each usually, less than Whole Foods or what-have-you. And they actually aren't THAT hard to open. I use a hand drill to make two holes for draining the juice, then chop it open with a big butcher knife to get the meat. Always the best fresh!! :)
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