MAY THE BEST BRAND WIN

Zico founder Mark Rampolla recently bought back his coconut water company after a sale that decimated the brand. Now he's rebuilding it with a new team, but facing fierce competition from an old rival. Rampolla had often joked that Zico was his son. So he felt a twinge of sadness about the brand's foundering under Coke's leadership. But that emotion quickly changed to excitement and hope. Rampolla now serves as chairman of the board of the newly renamed Zico Rising, representing PowerPlant Ventures, which he co-founded in 2015, and which led the acquisition from Coke. The rivalry between Rampolla and Vita Coco co-founder and CEO Michael Kirban, 45, is worthy of the Hollywood treatment. The race to expand saw both brands reach Boston MA, Los Angeles, and San Francisco CA, followed by China, Korea, and the UK. Wherever one would go, the other would follow.