This self-made businessman is behind the only Black-owned coconut water brand

Gregory Lowe II has made a name for himself in both business and tech circles. The award-winning entrepreneur is the founder of Lowekey, a startup that focuses on scaling up businesses with innovative solutions.

Lowe II taught himself how to code and subsequently developed and launched several apps, which led him to other ventures and opportunities with multiple Fortune 500 companies. The entrepreneur from New York City is also known for his 100 Coconuts, a packaged coconut water making waves in the United States. 

100 Coconuts is packed with nutrition and electrolytes with no sugar and is also available with tequila or CBD for those looking for a little something more. Launched in 2018, Lowe II said he was motivated to start his coconut water brand because of the health benefits of cocoa. He is currently the first and only Black owner of a coconut water brand.

His coconut brands are produced in factories in Vietnam. The water is obtained from green coconuts and packaged in an aluminium can so as to maintain its natural taste and nutrients as well as flavor.

100 Coconuts has grown to become a luxury brand and it is sold in some of the leading retail brands in America. According to Black Business, it is sold in over 150 big retail stores and counting. His coconut water brand comes in three unique varieties: pure 100% coconut water, coconut water with tequila, and coconut water with CBD, Fortune reported.

Since Lowe II started production three years ago, Lowe has gotten the backing of investors across various fields, including former NFL star Michael Strahan. Other investors include Danny Stepper, Bill Deustch, Giuseppe Rossi, Constance Schwartz-Morini, Ann Tenenbaum, Jesse Lee, Thomas H. Lee, and East Dune Holdings. 

Strahan told Fortune, “Besides its great taste and expansive retail footprint, 100 Coconuts really stood out to me in the ways they were cutting into new categories, like infusing CBD and tequila in coconut water—no one has done that. I was also in line with their community-building strategy that is dedicated to reaching a diverse network of consumers by leveraging culture, like arts and music, to drive discovery and immediate loyalty.”

On a normal day, Lowe II often wakes up by 6:00 am but on days he has to meet production deadlines, he is on phone with manufacturers by 3 am planning production runs for his coconut water brand, he told Valetmag.

For Lowe II, this means going to bed early and getting at least eight hours of sleep which he notes makes a big difference in his productivity during the day.