ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Very few things bring to mind the feeling of lazing on a white sand beach enjoying the ocean breeze like drinking from a freshly cracked coconut. The couple behind AMI Coconuts is committed to bringing that piece of paradise to Manatee County.
When Robert and Jennifer McGraw relocated from Ohio to Anna Maria Island in August 2021, it was to bring their children to a place where they could ride out the COVID-19 pandemic in a warmer climate. After making their home near the beaches of Anna Maria Island, the couple became involved in the community and decided to launch a new business.
“We didn’t really expect the community that’s here,” Jennifer McGraw said. “They’ve all supported us and our new business. It’s been incredible.”
While holding a coconut one day while talking to a friend, Robert McGraw said he came up with the idea to bring fresh coconuts to the Island. Only a few months later, AMI Coconuts now imports fresh coconuts from Costa Rica and serves them at private events and several local restaurants.
“They’re the freshest coconuts you can find,” Jennifer McGraw said, with her husband adding that rather than several weeks old, like many of the coconuts imported from Thailand, the coconuts they bring to the Island are only five days old.
The coconuts brought in by the couple are served locally at Mar Vista, The BeachHouse, The Sandbar, the Moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach, the Kokonut Hut at the Gulf Drive Café and aboard the Island Princess. While some of the coconuts and the coconut water inside them are used to make mixed drinks, others are used as drink containers and all the coconuts are custom branded with each location’s logo, making them a fun souvenir to take home.
In addition to their work with local restaurants, the McGraws also host their own coconut cocktail parties, serve coconuts at special events and provide coconuts for weddings and other private events. For anyone wanting something special for their event, the couple will create a custom brand to mark the coconuts, given about two weeks’ notice. For orders without a custom brand, the McGraws can make local same-day deliveries.
For more information about AMI Coconuts or to arrange for an order or special event, visit the McGraws online at www.AMICoconuts.com.
