Is banana water the next coconut water?
+ the unexpected protein product you'll want to eat every day
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Now, onto the goods 👇
Nate’s Pickups:
Banagua
The headlines are probably right, this could genuinely be the next coconut water. Now, there’s a chance I think that because I love bananas and eat at least one a day. Who’s to say. But I’ll be honest here that this is one of the best-tasting beverages I’ve had in a long time, and I was shocked. I did not expect to enjoy this liquid so much. I get why they just raised $5.5 million and why people are already talking about it as the next coconut water. If you don’t like bananas, look away now. If you do, there’s no turning back.
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Quick Facts: Organic banana water made from heirloom Thai bananas, using a proprietary enzyme-assisted extraction that pulls the water naturally inside the fruit—so you get potassium, magnesium, and other electrolytes with no added sugar, no preservatives, and no funny stuff. Available in Original (bananas, that’s it), Cocoa Vanilla, Blueberry, and Strawberry.
Reasons to love:
Tasty AF. The best reason to drink this is that it’s simply that good. It tastes like banana in the best possible way with no artificial or fake notes, probably because the only ingredient is banana (including the peel). The flavor is simple but bold, so you don’t need to add anything else, and I wouldn’t want anything added. The liquid is also a touch more viscous than you’d expect, which to me gives it a fun, unique quality to drink.
It uses nature to its fullest. It is literally just bananas. All the antioxidants, vitamins, electrolytes, and potassium are naturally derived from the bananas used to make this liquid. That’s exactly why people are calling it the next coconut water, because there are very few brands and very few products that can pull that off. Coconut water is the obvious comp, basically everything I’m saying about Banagua you could say about a good coconut water too. I’m not anti-added-sugar, but it’s genuinely cool to find something this simple that tastes like it isn’t.
Bananas are huge. They’re one of the most popular products in the grocery store by a landslide. The average American eats over 13 pounds of fresh bananas a year, about one in four grocery carts has bananas in it, and Walmart alone sells 1.7 billion pounds of bananas every year. If a brand can bottle that up it makes sense people will pay attention.
Where to buy: Online and in select retailers
Jenna’s Pickup:
Egglife Chocolate Egg White Wraps
This weekly pickup is a special one: it is both a review and a euology, because today was the fateful day that I finally ran out of my two packs of Egglife’s new Chocolate Egg White Wraps. I understand that I can buy them again, but I will feel this loss until I do, because this has quickly become the thing I look forward to every single day.
I know what you’re thinking: an egg white wrap as a source of joy is surely a sign of diet culture delusion. To that, I say: you clearly haven’t tried these ones yet.
Quick Facts: Ready-to-eat wraps made from a base of egg whites and cocoa powder, sweetened with monk fruit. These are naturally gluten- and grain-free, dairy-free, and even keto- and paleo-friendly (if people are still doing that these days). Similar to a chocolate crepe in taste and format, but sans sugar and packed with protein!
Reasons to love:
Insane macros. Two wraps is just 60 calories, zero sugar, and packs 11 grams of protein! For a treat that actually tastes great, is light + fluffy in texture, and satisfies a sweet tooth… that is bonkers. If you’re someone who must have dessert after every meal, breakfast included (guilty as charged), these feel like a real life hack.
Endless applications. A sweet wrap is likely an unfamiliar concept, so I would think of these as more like a crepe—a sweet, thin vehicle for all of your favorite sweet spreads or dips. These pair perfectly with peanut butter (especially PB and banana), or—if you want even more of a protein boost—greek yogurt or cottage cheese (easily a 30g protein dessert, with no protein powder required). And if you’re far more ambitious than I, you could even make them into a “crepe cake.” So! Many! Options!!!!
So convenient, you don’t even need a plate. Despite listing countless ways you could prepare these, I need to be so honest with you: I ate 90% of them while standing in the fridge, straight out of the pack. They taste so good on their own and are mess-free—perfect for when you’re rushing between meetings and just want something quick that still feels close to real, whole foods.
Please enjoy this extremely hectic footage of Nate and I trying these for the first time while in Egglife’s “Protein My Ride” vehicle (a shmancy car decked out in protein-themed decor and stocked with Egglife’s newest products, joined by the company’s wonderful CMO, Andrea Schwenk). I love my job.
Where to buy: Find in a store near you!
Check out our most recent episode of The Curious Consumer! We were joined by Tara Bosch, founder of Snackish—the better-for-you potato chip brand—and the founder behind SmartSweets, which she exited for $360M.
Plus, we’re chatting about the biggest themes from this week’s Fancy Food Show (real sugar and real indulgence, the premiumization of frozen food, Indian flavors, and flavor-packed sauces), how Refresh is trying to make gum cool again, the brand that wants to bring sexual care products to Sephora, the real fridge cig, and more. →
Thanks for reading! Anything you think we should try for an upcoming edition of Express Checkout? Email us at hello@expresscheckout.co
Ofc
Banagua is fun to say tbqh