WATER
WATER --
WATER -- DO YOU EVER STOP AND THINK -- WHERE WAS THIS MADE? IN AUSTIN'S BOOMTOWN ECONOMY --
SPARKLING WATER
IS A BOOMING BUSINESS.
AND SEVERAL LOCAL COMPANIES ARE
ADDING TO THE NATIONAL PICTURE
WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THOSE
BUBBLY BEVERAGES.
TONIGHT -- BRYCE NEWBERRY TAKES
A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW THEY'RE
FINDING SUCCESS IN A-T-X.
FIZZY WATER FURY!
3 DIFFERENT CANS OPENING MORE AND MORE AMERICANS ARE
CHOOSING SPARKLING
WATER.
SALES GREW 54 PERCENT FROM 2014
TO 2018 IN THE U-S.
AND THE PROFITS--
--ARE BUBBLING UP FOR FIVE
AUSTIN BUSINESSES.
FIRST UP -- TANK TOWN --
-- WHERE RICHARD'S RAINWATER IS
PRODUCED AND
BOTTLED.
"EVERY DROP OF OUR RAINWATER HAS
NEVER TOUCHED THE
GROUND AND IT'S NEVER TOUCHED A
CHEMICAL OF ANY KIND."
TAYLOR O'NEIL IS C-E-O. THE
DRIPPING SPRINGS
COMPANY FOCUSED ON SHORTENING
THE PATH FROM
CLOUD -- TO BOTTLE.
THE RESULT IS WATER -- STILL OR
SPARKLING.
"IT TESTS MORE THAN 100 TIMES
CLEANER THAN THE STRICTEST
BOTTLED WATER STANDARDS IN THE
COUNTRY."
WHEN IT RAINS -- WATER IS
COLLECTED IN THESE TANKS --
KEPT CLEAN USING U-V LIGHTS --
THEN BOTTLED INSIDE.
"IT'S THE ONLY SOURCE OF CLEAN
DRINKING WATER THAT DOESN'T
DEPLETE
DEPLETE OUR EXISTING RESOURCES." IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FLAVOR -- "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED."
-- WATERLOO SPARKLING WATER IS
TRYING TO
SATISFY THE SOFTDRINK URGE.
"WE KNEW THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT
WERE GETTING AWAY FROM
CARBONATED SOFTDRINKS, OR
LIMITING THEM, BUT WE KNEW THAT
WE
COULD GO FLAVOR-FORWARD WITH
OURS, BE A LITTLE BIT BOLDER
IN TASTE, AND THEN WE ALSO ADDED
ATTRIBUTES THAT NO ONE ELSE WAS
DOING AT THE TIME."
C-E-O JASON SHIVER SAYS WATERLOO
HAS A TWO-PERSON
TEAM -- SOMETIMES SPENDING UP TO
SIX MONTHS --
TO MAKE FLAVORS POP.
THINK GRAPE SODA -- OR
SUMMER-RIPE STRAWBERRY.
THE COMPANY--STAR TED IN AUSTIN
IN 20-17. LAST YEAR
ALONE -- THEY SOLD APPROXIMATELY
150-MILLION
CANS.. THAT NUMBER--EXPEC TED TO
DOUBLE THIS
YEAR.
"WE'RE IN EVERY SINGLE STATE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WE
WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AUSTIN
WAS PROUD OF WHAT WE WERE
DOING."
THE NATIONAL GROWTH -- PARTLY
DUE -- TO THE
SUCCESS FOUND HERE AT HOME.
"I THINK AUSTIN IS A GREAT PLACE
FOR THAT. IT'S ALSO A MECCA FOR
SMALL
BUSINESSES.
SMALL BUSINESSES. IN A STATE WHERE EVERYTHING'S
BIGGER -- "BIG
SWIG" IS TRYING TO POUR INTO
YOUR HEART.
"WE SAW SPARKLING WATER WAS
GIGANTIC AND THERE WASN'T
ANYTHING
ANYTHING FROM TEXAS FOR TEXANS." THAT INCLUDES FLAVORS LIKE WATERMELON MINT -- PRICKLY
PEAR CUCUMBER -- AND YES -- YOU
SEE THAT
CORRECTLY -- PICKLE.
"WE EAT A LOT OF BARBECUE HERE -
AND IF YOU EAT A LOT OF
BARBECUE,
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE
PICKLES TO DIGEST."
DOING BUSINESS HERE -- IS
SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR
MANAGING PARTNER SEAN O'CONNOR.
"AUSTIN FEELS TO BE THE TIP OF
THE SPHERE FOR THE STATE OF
TEXAS,
BUT REALLY IS WILDLY INFLUENTIAL
AROUND THE
COUNTRY."
IN 20-20 -- THE COMPANY WANTS TO
GET MORE CANS IN
HANDS.. AFTER SELLING MORE THAN
HALF A MILLION CASES
IN CENTRAL TEXAS LAST YEAR.
"OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS IF YOU'RE
DRINKING A SPARKLING WATER,
AND IT'S NOT A BIG SWIG, YOU
KNOW, YOUR BUDDY'S GONNA SAY
SOMETHING TO YOU ABOUT IT."
THAT'S FRESHLY-MADE SELTZER
WATER -- FROM
CENTRAL TEXAS' ONLY SELTZER
SHOP.
"PEOPLE SEE OUR BOTTLE, THEY
REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE A KID,
MAYBE THEIR GRANDMOTHER HAD IT."
BUBB'S SELTZER OWNER DREW
MAJOULET WORKS OUT OF
THIS SAN MARCOS GARAGE.
"THERE'S REALLY NO OTHER CHOICE
IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT'S
ZERO WASTE. ULTIMATELY,
EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOING TO BE A
PACKAGED PRODUCT THAT ENDS UP IN
THE TRASH."
THE YEAR-OLD COMPANY DELIVERS
SELTZER TO
YOUR FRONT PORCH EVERY THREE
WEEKS.
THE WATER GOES THROUGH A
SOFTENER.. CARBON FILTER..
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL FILTER.. AND
THEN A PAPER
FILTER.. BEFORE GOING INTO THIS
EUROPEAN-BUILT MACHINE WHERE
IT'S
IT'S CHILLED AND CARBONATED. "GETTING THIS CONCEPT ACROSS TO PEOPLE WAS VERY DIFFICULT.
IT'S NOT UNTIL YOU HAVE THE
BOTTLE IN FRONT OF SOMEBODY THAT
YOU CAN SHOW THEM HOW IT WORKS."
ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME -- THE
COMPANY IS SLOWLY
GROWING.
SEQUENCE OF BOTTLE FILLING
"IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S MEANT TO
BE PERSONALIZED AND IT'S A HOME
DELIVERY, SO WE WANT YOU TO KNOW
WHO WE ARE, WE WANT TO
SEE YOU EVERY THREE WEEKS, AND
GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK."
THIS IS THE WATER THAT HAS
AUSTIN -- IN EVERY CAN.
"WE JUST DECIDED THAT IT WAS
RIDICULOUS THAT THERE WASN'T A
LOCAL OPTION."
RAMBLER STARTED AS A SMALL,
CRAFT WATER --
CANNED AT AUSTIN BEERWORKS --
THAT'S NOW IN
FOUR DIFFERENT STATES.
"WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED TO
CREATE A SPARKLING WATER,
A MINERAL WATER, AND THAT WE
WANTED TO BE TRULY AN AUSTIN
BRAND AND WE WANTED TO MAKE OUR
WATER HERE."
THE WATER IS SODIUM-FREE -- BUT
ADDED MINERALS
INCLUDING CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM,
AND POTASSIUM
-- GIVE IT FLAVOR.
"IT'S OUR TEXAS LIMESTONE
FILTRATION SYSTEM AND THE
MINERALS
THAT WE PUT BACK INTO THE WATER
THAT GIVES IT ITS UNIQUE TASTE
PROFILE."
THIS YEAR -- RAMBLER IS PLANNING
TO PRODUCE FIVE
TIMES MORE WATER -- THAN LAST
YEAR.
"AUSTINITES WILL SUPPORT A LOCAL
BUSINESS LIKE NOBODY ELSE."
AND AUSTINITES KNOW -- THE
CHOICE THEY'RE MAKING.
"PEOPLE ARE REALIZING THAT
THERE'S MORE OUT THERE THAN SODA
AND THAT THERE ARE HEALTHIER
OPTIONS."
WHETHER IT'S A BOTTLE -- CAN --
OR SIPHON
-- CENTRAL TEXAS HAS A FULL
GLASS OF INDUSTRY
LEADERS.
THESE LOCAL OPTIONS -- ARE JUST
A SPLASH -- OF WHAT'S
EXPECTED TO BE A FIVE-AND-A-
HALF BILLION DOLLAR YEAR
FOR THE INDUSTRY -- IN THE U-S
ALONE.
BRYCE NEWBERRY -- KVUE NEWS.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO TRY ANY OF
THESE DRINKS-- WE'VE POSTED INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN
BUY THEM WITH THIS
STORY-- ON KVUE -DOT- COM.