The Water Joe Story

Everything begins with an idea. While attending Arizona State University and trying to stay awake for all night study sessions, one student would do something he disliked: drink coffee or cola. "Why can't someone put caffeine in water?", he thought.

Eight years later,this student never forgot about his caffeinated water idea. In 1994 he worked with a local chemist to see if water and caffeine could actually be combined without affecting the water's taste. Backed with a formula, he began approaching bottlers who found his idea amusing but not practical.

It wasn't until the summer of 1995 that he contacted Nicolet Forest Bottling. He talked to Dave Holdener, President of Nicolet Forest Bottling Company, and proposed a meeting to discuss a unique bottled water invention. Holdener, being a caffeine user and an entrepreneur, liked what he saw and what he tasted; a caffeinated bottled water that "tastes just like water". After a satisfactory production test which concluded that caffeine water was easily sanitized from the natural water filling lines, a test market began in October 1995.

The test market was centered around major university campuses: University of Wisconsin, Madison and Milwaukee, Marquette, and University of Illinois. Student newspapers quickly picked up on the free sampling efforts and applauded the "caffeine alternative" concept. Given a successful test market, Holdener decided to distribute Water Joe through the existing Midwest distribution of Nicolet Natural.

On April 11, 1996, a story by the Milwaukee Sentinel entitled "Java Lite (Firm Seeks Buzz with Caffeinated Water)" was picked up on the AP wire and reproduced in metropolitan newspapers around the country. That article sparked the interest of a staff writer for the New York Times. The New York Times proceeded to print an article in the May 6th edition of the New York Times entitled, "The Latest Mousetrap: Caffeine Laced Spring Water", featuring the Chicago Board of Trade. This began the most publicized media frenzy for a nonalcoholic beverage since Rush Limbaugh single-handedly and voluntarily promoted Snapple.

In the weeks that followed, almost every major television network, radio station and newspaper had something to say about Water Joe. From the CBS evening news to CNN to MTV, Water Joe talk was everywhere. Soon beverage wholesalers and retailers were requesting samples and then were placing orders. The Water Joe Team was working 18 hour days trying to manage the demand. "We found ourselves drinking too much Water Joe" recalls Holdener.

Free Enterprise Prevails

Of course other bottlers like Nicolet wanted to get in in the frenzy. Within 8 months of the Water Joe introduction, there were 14 copycat brands in the US Unfortunately most of these bottlers underestimated the technical and physical properties of adding caffeine to water. Consequently, caffeinated water brands sat on the shelf. Poor tasting Caffeinated waters took its toll on the new caffeinated water category. With all the off brands gone, Holdener exclaims. "Our message is the same today as it was in 1995", says Holdener. "Water Joe is the world's first and best caffeine alternative to coffee and cola."

Today, Water Joe's greatest distribution is in its home base in the Midwestern United States. Water Joe can also be found in the southeast and mid-Atlantic states. It has a very loyal customer base and Internet sales continue to outpace all other markets.

If you can't find Water Joe in your area, please e-mail us. Better yet, e-mail us and tell your retailers you would like to purchase Water Joe. We cannot promise, but we will try to get it in your favorite store.