Hardly Water Makes a Splash With Chicago’s Beverage Scene

CHICAGO, Ill.-- HARDLY WATER, the newest non-carbonated, local, and female founded beverage company announces the adoption of its first three skus being sold in 50 metro-Chicago locations, including Goddess and the Grocer, and Binny’s Beverage Depot.

In a world of bubbly beverages competing for the title of Chicago’s go-to cocktail, newcomer Hardly Water is doing things differently. The company is making a splash on the Chicago beverage scene with its female founder at the helm. 

Hardly Water is embarking on a new beverage experience that is big on flavor, not carbonation. 

When the local husband and wife team, Tonya Romin and Jason Therrien, started the company in early 2021 in their north side Chicago home, they were on a quest for a clean, non-carbonated, gluten-free beverage that fit into their active lifestyle. In their pursuit, they wound up in a sea of seltzers and were carried away by carbonation. 

“As someone who struggles with dietary restrictions that hamper my social experiences at festivals, concerts, and parties, I realized that sparkling cocktails saturated the market,” said Tonya, CEO of Hardly Water. “I continually searched for alternatives to the seltzer craze but came up empty handed in a crowd holding can after can of bubbly beverages. A non-carbonated, gluten-free beverage simply did not exist at the time, so we set out to create one.”

Romin brings to the table 13 years of experience in fundraising management, event planning and volunteer engagement from her career in legal higher education, while Therrien is a veteran of the CPG and natural food space, having led sales and strategy for several emerging brands in the US, including Sweet Earth (Nestle). Together, the duo recognized an opportunity to provide relief in a seltzer-saturated market. 

The Hardly Water team conducted extensive consumer research to determine what conscientious drinkers prefer most when it comes to their beverage of choice. Overwhelmingly, they realized that people wanted clean, convenient, ready-to-drink beverages. They made the conscious decision to use a natural, grain-free, sugar-brew base, to create a smoother flavor that is naturally gluten free.

Tonya continued, “outside of wine, hard alcohol, or beverages extraordinarily high in sugar,  there were no options for non-carbonated beverages. We saw an opportunity to use some recipes we were experimenting with at our home-bar and leaned into some unique flavors that elevate the experience beyond standard citrus flavors to create crisp, refreshing, fruit forward combinations. We’re here to burst the carbonation bubble, one sip at a time!”

The goal in creating this beverage was not just to build a better beverage, but to give back to our communities through partnership with local non-profit organizations as we grow. 

Since entering the market in October (2023), the team has provided support to over 40 charitable events for local organizations, including Meals on Wheels Chicago, an organization Romin has supported for nearly a decade. 

“One of our core goals as a company is to provide impactful contributions to local organizations close to us as we grow, and Meals on Wheels Chicago is one we will continue to support as we do,’ Romin continued, “we were honored to showcase our beverages alongside other local vendors at their Chicago on Tap event, and thrilled to win “Best Brew of 2024!”  

From their bold design to elevated flavor combinations and community advocacy, Hardly Water is changing the ready to drink beverage scene, and providing relief to consumers who prefer a non-carbonated option. 

Hardly Water is available for purchase at their on- and off-premise accounts throughout Chicago, and continues rolling-out new locations each week.

About Hardly Water

Hardly Water is a full flavored, gluten free, spiked still water beverage made with all natural ingredients. It's not just the carbonation we leave out; Hardly Water is free of sugar substitutes, artificial flavors, sulfates, and preservatives. No chemicals here, just smooth refreshments coming in at 100 calories and 5% each.

Hardly Water LLC is independently owned and operated, and licensed by the Illinois Liquor Control and Commission for distribution in the state of Illinois.