What’s the Score?
Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced a multi-year partnership with Once Upon a Coconut, a premium coconut water brand, naming it the official coconut water of the league. This collaboration will see Once Upon a Coconut providing its healthy hydration options to players and fans at all MLP events throughout the season, including regular season tournaments, the mid-season tournament, playoffs, and the MLP Cup in November.
Hit it deeper!
The partnership between MLP and Once Upon a Coconut aims to bring the brand’s “clean, healthy hydration” to the pickleball community. John Chiorando, CEO of Once Upon a Coconut, expressed his excitement about partnering with a league that reflects energy, competition, and excellence, values shared by his brand. He highlighted the opportunity to offer a healthy and delicious alternative to sugary sports drinks to a broader audience.
Once Upon a Coconut sources its premium coconut water from young green coconuts in Vietnam, offering a natural hydration option with no added sugars in various flavours. Beyond product benefits, the brand emphasises its commitment to sustainability through eco-friendly aluminium can packaging and a tree-planting initiative for every case sold. Additionally, the company donates 10% of its profits to nonprofit organisations, demonstrating a commitment to community impact. The 2025 MLP season kicked off in Orlando in April, marking the beginning of this partnership. The merger of MLP and the PPA Tour in 2024 under the United Pickleball Association (UPA) further expands the reach of this sponsorship.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The partnership between Major League Pickleball and Once Upon a Coconut signifies the growing commercial appeal and professionalisation of the sport. Having a dedicated official hydration partner underscores the increasing attention from major brands looking to align with the rapidly expanding pickleball market. For Once Upon a Coconut, this multi-year deal provides significant exposure to a large and engaged audience of athletes and fans, reinforcing their brand’s association with health and high performance. This type of partnership is becoming increasingly common in professional pickleball, demonstrating the sport’s maturing sponsorship landscape and its attractiveness to businesses seeking to reach a dynamic demographic.
