Grabbing the low-hanging fruit is no longer acceptable. ZICO Coconut Water founder Mark Rampolla argues that when you choose to reach higher, you can build an incredible business, be profitable, and maybe even change the world . In 2004, Mark Rampolla was successful by most standards. There was just one problem: He wasn’t inspired in his job and believed he had something more to contribute to the world. When he asked himself, "What do I have to offer that will improve the world?" Rampolla realized that his big idea was hanging right overhead. From his time living in Central America, he and his family came to love drinking coconut water, just like the locals. But no one was really selling coconut water in the United States. So Rampolla chased a very ambitious goal: introducing coconut water to the American beverage market dominated by a few big players. He wasn’t just starting a business; he was creating a whole new industry. ZICO Coconut Water brought a healthy beverage alternative to American consumers while also helping developing-world growers and suppliers profit from this resource. It was a win-win-win—good for Rampolla, his customers, and the world. So good, in fact, that in 2013 the Coca-Cola Company purchased ZICO and is scaling the brand around the globe. Rampolla wrote High-Hanging Fruit for others who want to succeed because of, not in spite of, their values. This book is for people who believe that it’s their duty to reach higher than just the bottom line to build businesses driven by passion, purpose, and integrity. Above all, it’s a call to arms for a new generation of entrepreneurs who want to disrupt the old model and do good by doing business.  "Often only the bottom line is emphasized in business. But Mark Rampolla shows how those days are over through his ZICO story, making the case that reaching for higher goals to do good...can be just as porfitable and successful, while also bettering the world."    - SARA BLAKELY , founder and owner of Spanx "Mark Rampolla's journey proves that you can found businesses that you're passionate about, that help improve global problems, and that still make money. ZICO's example should and will help guide a new generation of ambitious entrepreneurs."    - JOHN MACKEY , cofounder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market and author of Conscious Capitalism "Wise and refreshingly human. High-Hanging Fruit is more than surefire insight into building a successful business; it's a call to action to start something that matters and use business to fuel social change."    - BLAKE MYCOSKIE , founder and chief shoe giver, TOMS, and author of Start Something That Matters "A Thrilling story of bringing a healthy drink to market, revealing how it's possible to do well and do good at the same time. This book is full of powerful insights for entrepreneurs - and it's a joy to read."    - ADAM GRANT , Wharton professor and author of Originals and Give and Take MARK RAMPOLLA is the founder and former CEO of ZICO Beverages. Since leaving ZICO he has become an active investor and adviser to social-impact businesses in the food, beverage, and technology industries. He lectures around the world and lives in Redondo Beach, California. Chapter 1 Reach Higher On an unusually warm and clear Saturday morning for December in San Salvador, we drove to the beach to meet friends for the day. The air was filled with that uniquely sweet Central American scent comprising notes of jasmine, bougainvillea, tropical humidity, crushed sugar cane, and burning trash. After several years living here it now smelled like home. Maura was asleep in the passenger seat. Six months into her second pregnancy she was struggling with an all-day version of morning sickness. Ciara, our eighteen-month-old, was conked out in her rear-facing car seat behind us. My work for International Paper's (IP) packaging business had taken me to Argentina and Venezuela that previous week, and I was tired myself and looking forward to catching a few z's in one of the hammocks strung between coconut trees at the little beach house that would be our refuge for the day. As we descended from the mountains to the coastal plain, I could feel my ears pop and the temperature rise. We drove into the sleepy port town of La Libertad. Maura awakened out of her slumber and spotted a roadside vendor, saying, "Agua de coco! That's something I can drink. Can we stop?" I said sure, but reminded her that we were only ten minutes from the house. "You know Jorge will have one ready for you in five minutes and you can drink it while floating in the pool." "Ah, that sounds perfect," Maura said. "Keep going." I pulled up to the tall blue gate we knew well and beeped twice. Jorge, the property manager, opened the gate and ushered us in. We chatted a little and I asked him if he could get us a bunch of coconuts for the day: "Maura está un poco enferma." He said back to me, "Qué lastimá. Agua de coco fresca es exact