Cook with coconut water

Use it to make tomyum soup and home cafe drinks

- Tan Hsueh Yun Senior Correspondent

Reaching for coconut water after a workout or on a hot day just seems the natural thing to do. It is thirst-quenching, naturally sweet and contains electrolytes to rehydrate the body.

But Thai coconut water brand UFC Refresh thinks there are other ways to appreciate it and wants to show the drink's versatility via social media. It is getting Thai food influencers and its in-house marketing team to make trendy drinks using its coconut water.

Ms Winita Purapati, 55, president of UFC, tells The Sunday Times: "We want to place it in the lifestyle of our consumers. We try to introduce its versatility, to make coconut water more fun to consume.

"You can make a cocktail or mocktail, you can use it to make a slushie, or pop it into the freezer and you have a nice popsicle for summer. These are the kinds of things we are trying to communicate to our customers."

The idea is to stay ahead of the competition. She adds: "There are many coconut water brands in the market. We say the taste and quality of our product are superior. For the recipes, if you use a high-quality product, it will give you a good experience with the drink and food you make at home."

UFC or Universal Food Public Company is a subsidiary of Lam Soon Thailand, and the group acquired it in 2004. Lam Soon Singapore distributes its products in Singapore.

Today, UFC products available in Singapore include the Refresh range of coconut water, and lychee with Himalayan salt drink; the Velvet range of plant-based milk; and salted soya beans marketed under Lam Soon's Knife brand.

In 2012, UFC launched its coconut water, and supermarkets and stores in Singapore started selling it in 2014. Lam Soon Singapore says it was one of the first to bring Thai coconut water to Singapore.