Drinking a lot of Water is an ideal way to stay healthy and keep your skin looking youthful. Hydration is essential to overall wellness, and "premium" waters that are enhanced with alkaline qualities are the best kinds to drink. In 2015, a Startup company called "Flow water" hit the market to offer a boxed brand of alkaline spring waters that come directly from the founder’s family-owned aquifer located in Southwest Ontario, Canada. Flow water is full of essential minerals, electrolytes, and an alkaline pH of 8.1--a low acidity that can help increase oxygen levels in the bloodstream which helps to lubricate muscles and give the drinker increased energy naturally.
Flow water founder, Nicholas Reichenbach, was inspired to offer the water in boxes after he attended the Burning Man Festival and saw a worrying number of discarded plastic bottles. Hence, he decided to encase his water in recyclable containers that will not become wasteful garbage once discarded. In a recent interview, Nicholas Reichenbach discussed his experiences founding the company known as “Flow water” and his hopes for the future of his wellness-centered brand.
Water, springs, and recycling
Meagan Meehan (MM): This water comes from a family-owned spring, so how exactly is it additionally “treated” before it is sent out to consumers?
Nicholas Reichenbach (NR): Flow water is cleansed of impurities while it travels through the sub-surface into the limestone aquifer where it is stored.
It is during this process that the impurities exit the water, leaving only nutritious minerals. The spring water is only minimally treated for bacteria, without any additives administered to the product.
MM: This water tastes a bit different from brands like Poland Spring, so why is it that this water tastes so unique?
NR: Flow water’s product has alkaline properties, which is a result of the water being stored in the limestone aquifer, resulting in calcium carbonate being added to the water.
This is a specific ion which protects the water from acidic impacts. What more, while being purified on the way to the limestone aquifer, nutritious minerals diffuse into the water, making it taste great.
MM: What kinds of health benefits can drinking this water have on both a short-term and long-term way?
NR: Flow water contains 29mg of Magnesium, 2mg of Potassium, 73mg of Calcium and 298mg Bicarbonate per liter.
This composition is beneficial short term as it provides electrolytes for athletic recovery. Additionally, the water’s pH of 8.1 further keeps acidic levels in line, which helps to increase the oxygen level in the bloodstream, lubricating muscles and giving you increased energy to power through the day. Long-term, alkaline water is believed to lower your body’s acidic levels, which can eliminate conditions such as acid reflux, heartburn, or indigestion.
MM: It’s a brilliant idea to package the water in 100% recyclable packing, so what was the process of finding the right material like?
NR: Flow water’s creation was inspired after I attended the Burning Man festival where there were large amounts of plastic waste lying around.
After that experience, I wanted to provide a hydration source which would not leave the Earth covered in waste. Packaging our water in 100% recyclable and 70% renewable materials reduces the carbon footprint, as the process of making these carton boxes uses just minimal fossil fuels and energy. Apart from its eco-friendliness, we have also chosen to deliver our alkaline water in Tetra Pack packaging for its stability, strength, and recyclability.
Finally, the plastic cap is made of sugarcane, which further ensures that the production leaves no CO2 footprint. In the USA, Flow is listed at retailers including Whole Foods, Gelson’s, Harmon’s, Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage, Earth Fare, Central Market, Jewel Osco, Safeway, Kowalski’s, Bristol Farms.
Customers can also buy the alkaline water on Flow’s website and Amazon.
Eco-friendliness and feedback
MM: Do you think that one day soon ALL water brands will make an effort to be more eco-friendly? On that note, what do you think companies and individuals can do to be more mindful of the environment?
NR: We hope to see people realizing that the Earth can be, and is currently being, damaged by human activities. It would be wonderful to see increasingly more brands taking measures to ensure that we are making as little damage to the earth as possible. Additionally, the hope remains that customers become more aware of the processes that go into sourcing water and that they grow proactive in demanding that the products do not damage the environment.
MM: What kinds of feedback have you gotten from consumers and have any stories or comments been especially memorable?
NR: Flow water’s customers are in love with their active lifestyle and are very involved in practicing healthy habits while focusing on being eco-friendly. They realize the scarcity of Earth’s resources and want to contribute to the well-being of nature. We have been receiving positive feedback from these customers who recognize that Flow is making waves in the beverage industry for its eco-friendly nature.
A 2017 Google Beverage Trend Report discusses people’s significant interest in the premium, enhanced waters, including those with alkaline qualities and we are excited to be a brand which represents this beverage category and which caters to needs and expectations of current customers.
