Taste Radio Interview with Pocono Maple Water

Speaker 1 [00:25] Well, that was a great conversation and coming right up we have Nicole Bentler, the co-founder of Pocono Maple Water. Nicole, come on down. It's, oh my goodness, you know this is such a fan. It's so good. Did you try? Oh wonderful. Yeah,

Speaker 2 [00:41] I was talking to some of the team members and they were saying that like they wouldn't, they, they said they couldn't even keep it in the office.

Speaker 1 [00:46] Yeah, no, I did. I that we had it in the fridge and I drank one and then all of a sudden it was gone, yeah, um, so you have such an interesting story. Um, let's start off by hearing a little bit how you started Pocono Maple Water, um, and you know what you, when did you, when did you launch it?

Speaker 2 [01:02] So we launched about 18 months ago roughly, um, a little over 1 year ago. Um, but we've been working on it for 5 years. Um, so it's, it's been such a wild ride. Um, we, we kind of inquired the, the farm about 9 years ago, and we knew that we wanted to break out and do maple water eventually, and it's kind of, there was a lot of ups and downs and it's just amazing to be where we are now and people, people trying it and getting all this feedback and. It's been so well received.

Speaker 1 [01:29] If there's any constant in the beverage industry, it's probably the ups and downs, and you actually, so you don't come from a CPG background, you come from the wellness industry, is that right? Yes, yeah. So how did that influence the product that you put together?

Speaker 2 [01:42] Yeah, so it was, it was pretty insane when, when the maple farm kind of fell into our laps. I was kind of like, what are we gonna do with this? What are like how are we gonna, and it was, it was incredible through research how amazing maple syrup kind of gets a bad rap about being kind of bad for you. Everything that's on the market has a ton of corn syrup and preservatives and things like that, so it was incredible to see, you know, it's actually one of the healthiest things you'd be putting into your body. And so the very first product, a lot of people don't realize this is the very first product that comes out of the tree and is more like spring water and it's only 2% sugar, so it's, it's very subtly sweet and has a very light maple finish, um, so this is what we boil down to make maple syrup. So a lot of times people ask me all the time, they're like, what's the hardest part? and a lot of it's just the education behind it, um. So we knew we wanted to offer something that was a clean hydration that isn't touched that literally we get it from the farm and we, we send it to uh Cuban Foods. They bottle it for us and uh we get it back and it goes straight to our consumers.

Speaker 1 [02:39] Yeah, that really is one of the most common misconceptions, you know, people may think they water it down, but no, this is actually the product that comes right out of the tree and not only do you get a subtle sweet, I see 20 calories here, um, there's, it, I mean, a very small amount of, is it 5 g of sugar? Yeah, it's, it's

Speaker 2 [02:56] like it's. Tiny and what's amazing, I tell a lot of people it's one of the cleanest sources of water you can get on the planet because it's getting filtered by the tree. So if you think about those roots in the soil-based system, so you're getting all of those natural occurring elements and electrolytes, and it's maple water is not a new product. It's been around for hundreds of years. Native Americans used to use it before going on long journeys, so it's, it's definitely something that has a ton of healing properties. We get so much feedback and reviews from people, and it's, it's been amazing. It's been such, such a great, a great experience bringing this to. Life and getting it out in people's hands.

Speaker 1 [03:28] I would much rather have my water filtered by a maple tree than a Britta, so that sounds like it makes so much sense and there are of course, uh, hydration properties to maple water. Are you finding that a lot of your consumers are drinking it for, you know, hydration? It might be pre-workout, post-workout, that kind of thing. Who, who is, uh, attracted to the brand so far?

Speaker 2 [03:51] Yeah, it's, it's kind of a mixed bag, but it's mostly like health, wellness, definitely hydration, but. What I like to tell people is too, is not all water is created equal and there's just so much life in the, in the water and you can really taste it, but your body's actually able to, because of all those natural occurring elements and electrolytes, your body's able to absorb it a lot quicker than your typical bottled water that you're just grabbing off the shelf because that was the whole other reason we kind of started maple water is like what's in your water and like what is, what has been the lifeline? Did it come from, you know, where did it come from? Did it come from? Thailand, did it come from Fiji? If it's really coming from that far, you know, how long has it been sitting in that bottle? So that's kind of why we're so excited to bring this to life is so it's direct to consumer and that way you know exactly where it's coming from. You can come and visit the farm. The farm's the most magical place. It's incredible. You get to taste syrup as well. We have tours and tastings, so you get to try the maple water, which is the very first product, and then you get to see what we turn it into as well.

Speaker 1 [04:45] Well, that's on my summer road trip list and you know. You're also protecting the trees, right? Like it's a conservation method. Yeah,

Speaker 2 [04:51] so no, that's what's amazing about the maple industry as a whole is we protect the forest and we're, we're really our farm especially tries to be as sustainable as possible, but most maple farms are really sustainable and they're, they're keeping those trees from getting cut down and it turning into, you know, another housing development. Yeah, that

Speaker 1 [05:08] I, I, I wholly support that right, so we talked a little bit about the hydro. benefits, where do you see this product sitting on the shelf? Is it with the recovery drinks? Is it with just the grab and go like better for you sodas? Is it, is it with the waters? Where do you envision this working the best or where, what, where does it work the best

Speaker 2 [05:27] right now? The product does really well in like the small organic markets, but also the high-end wellness facilities, boutique studios, Pilates, yoga studios, they're like grabbing it and it. They can't keep it on the shelves. We're trying to like restock them. So, uh, so yeah, so definitely the health, wellness, fitness realm, but also anyone that's elderly that might be fighting like a sickness or an illness and they're looking for that extra hydration, um, also a lot of pregnancy. I just had a baby like 18 months ago. So my 18 month old loves this, but also when I was pregnant, like I was using this versus like a coconut water or something like that just for that extra hydration.

Speaker 1 [06:03] And um yeah that makes so much sense. The pregnancy market, yeah, I certainly like taps into the coconut water market but um this why is it the right time now for maple water? I mean I'm looking at the macros right here, fewer calories, less sugar, you still get the hydration. Why do you think right now is, you know, the time that maple water just might shine? I

Speaker 2 [06:25] think it's just people are. A lot more educated than ever before. The consumer's really looking for something that's fresh. They know where it's coming from, and there's complete transparency, um, and I'm seeing it everywhere. I'm seeing it in the news. I'm seeing it in social, like, you know, more and more bottled water companies are testing positive for X, Y, Z. They're not as clean as they, they're saying they are, and they're not as transparent. So I think the consumers just definitely looking for something that's a cleaner. Beverage, they know where it's coming from. And I think what's amazing is there's a story behind it too. So I think people love that they're able to come and visit this, the, the farm, and I think the future of the farm is we'll do more, um, brand activations and things like that at the farm where you can come and visit and try different waters and down the line we might also do some spring water. We have an amazing spring on the property. The water, the we're at the very top of the mountain, um, so the water there is just insane. So then you can taste it in the maple water.

Speaker 1 [07:18] With the with the region with the regional focus of the name Pocono Maple Water, I would imagine that you started regionally like started in regional accounts. Are you selling this product anywhere else right now? And if you are, where are you selling it?

Speaker 2 [07:33] Yeah, so, um, I also live part time in South Florida, so it. It does really well in the South Florida market. So like West Palm Beach, we're in some of the wellness and fitness clubs and things like that, and it does really well there. And they're, they're like especially the Jupiter market too, there's a lot of older athletes and things like that, um, that, you know, are retired athletes that are still super healthy, super conscious of what they're putting in their body. It does really well in those markets. So, um, so yeah, so we're, we're predominantly in the Northeast, but we ship everywhere. So we've shipped to, I think, almost all the states. Uh, Steph would have to tell me there's a few we're getting it, yeah, yeah. I'm pretty sure we've shipped to every single state, so you can get it to your door delivered wherever you are. If you're in Europe, we're not there quite yet, but maybe

Speaker 1 [08:20] eventually. All right, you heard it guys. If you want Pocono maple water, and I guarantee you you definitely do, you can have it no matter where you live in the United States. Just head over to the website,

Speaker 2 [08:30] yeah, Pocono maplewater.com. You can, you can get it there. Um, you can also check out some things that were are happening. The farm if you wanna come and check us out if you're in the Pocono Mountains, definitely stop by and come see us. Well,

Speaker 1 [08:41] Nicole Bentler, thank you so much for joining us from Pocono Maple Water. Do you want to, uh, say goodbye to our audience in the live stream while we, uh, head over to the main stage content? Yeah, sure.

Speaker 2 [08:51] Well, thank you guys so much. Definitely let us know if you try it. Let us know what you think. We would love to hear your

Speaker 1 [08:56] feedback. Thank you all so much for joining us in the live stream. Next up, Bill Schfeld from Athletic Brewing.