For generations, people have used machetes, knives, hammers, screwdrivers – pretty much anything handy to get at the delicious and nutritious water inside coconuts. Difficult, messy, time-consuming and dangerous. Then along came Sheldon Barrett, a UF engineering senior whose better idea led to a product he’ll soon be selling worldwide and a first-place spot in the 2017 Governor’s Cup Florida business plan competition: a tool that opens coconuts in 10 seconds flat.
