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Often times, the best businesses are created when someone encounters a problem in their life, and instead of saying “Ugh,” they say, “I’m gonna solve this.” And then they get to work.
Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint, the sugar-and-sweetener-free flavored water that’s taken Silicon Valley by storm, is a perfect example of this. After realizing that Diet Coke — which she drank religiously — was having a detrimental effect on her health, Kara decided to cut it out of her diet and start drinking water, instead.
This simple switch did instant wonders for her health (she lost 40 pounds in three months), but Kara knew it wasn’t sustainable. Water was simply too bland for her. She needed some flavor in her life!
And so, to make sure she didn’t revert back to her soda-drinking ways, Kara set out to create a product that would help her drink more water while also delivering the flavor she craved so badly. Nine months later, like a small child taking its first breath, Hint was born.
Fast-forward 12 years and this incredibly simple yet delicious concoction (natural fruit essences and water) is helping people all around the country drink more water. And, as was the case for Kara, Hint has become the go-to drink for those trying to wean off soda.
Why? Because replacing something tasty (soda) with something bland (plain water) is nearly impossible, even if you know it’s the right thing to do. But once you add some flavor to the water, things become a lot easier.
We’re talking peach, cherry, blackberry, pineapple, watermelon, crisp apple, peppermint, raspberry, blood orange, strawberry-kiwi, mango-grapefruit… takes a deep breath… pomegranate, pear, honeydew, lime, cucumber, pineapple peach, and cherry blackberry.
And that doesn’t even touch the sparkling or caffeinated varieties. You’ll have to check all the flavors out on your own though. That’s enough fruit for today.
Why do we like this stuff so much?
- Taste: You know the fancy schmancy fruit-infused water that hotels have in the lobby? That’s pretty much what Hint tastes like. Refreshing and not too sweet. Except without all the weird pulp floating around.
- Convenience: Hint’s subscription model makes it insanely easy to keep your fridge fully stocked at all times. Pick a pack, choose the frequency (every 14, 30, or 60 days), and it’ll arrive on your doorstep like clockwork.
- Mission: At a recent event, Kara was asked what would happen if Pepsi or Coke tried to put Hint out of a business with a fruit-infused, sugar-free water of their own. Her response: “That’d be great! I didn’t start Hint to make money; I started it to make a positive impact on people’s health by getting them to drink more water. So, if our success forces Coke to sell a similar product, I’d be thrilled.” Freakin’ awesome.
- They have sunscreen: Hint recently launched a sunscreen line with 3 scents: pineapple, grapefruit, and pear. We haven’t tried it yet but, considering how good a bottle of Hint smells, covering your body in that goodness might just change the sunscreen game forever. PS: you can try a special sunscreen pack, here.
If you couldn’t tell…
All in all, we’re huge fans of Hint and of Kara. There are plenty of companies out there trying to latch onto the recent “health kick,” but so many of them are in it for the wrong reasons. Hint isn’t like that.
This is a company that was born out of a woman’s desire to live a healthier lifestyle, and everything they do today is meant to help others do the same.
So next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a bottle. Or better yet, grab one of their special bundles. That way, after you guzzle down your first bottle, savor the last sip, then sit there for 10 minutes trying to figure out how something with no sugar tastes that good… bottle #2 will be ready and waiting.
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