Being a positive and mindful force in the world is very important to me, that’s what “Flow” means. Mindfulness guides everything that we do at Flow, from our unique water sources and how we protect them, to our sustainable packaging, innovation and transparent business practices. All choices have a ripple effect. I believe that the water you drink matters, it matters because of how it nourishes your body, as much as the food you eat, how you sleep and exercise. So does protecting our environment. At Flow we do both at the same time by offering the highest quality spring water in a more sustainable alternative to plastic bottles.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicholas Reichenbach, CEO and founder of Flow Alkaline Spring Water. Nicholas Reichenbach is the founder and CEO of Flow Alkaline Spring Water. He is a serial entrepreneur who has launched a steady stream of diverse and successful businesses, from gaming software to a leading social video chat platform. Nicholas has innovated a number of industries, most recently disrupting the water category with Flow Alkaline Spring Water, a sustainably packaged spring water built on the power of mindful positivity. Flow is a naturally alkaline water with a pH level of 8.1 that is both sustainably sourced and packaged.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
At Burning Man a few years ago, I had an inspirational, life-changing experience. There’s a zero-trace policy there — you have to recycle and take home everything you came with. People brought in tons of plastic water bottles and at the end, threw them all into recycling. And that’s where I had an epiphany about Flow. I thought there’s a huge white space here. There’s an opportunity to completely disrupt the bottled-water industry by offering consumers the highest quality spring water in more innovative, sustainable packaging. Flow’s source is my family’s artisan spring, it releases over a million liters of mineral-rich, alkaline water into the environment naturally every day. It was very serendipitous.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The idea of Mindful Hydration is one of the key pillars that makes Flow Alkaline Spring Water stand out. The water itself is all natural, with nothing added and naturally alkaline at the source. Our customers are obsessed with our delicious flavors and the fact that our flavors are all certified organic. I’m proud to say that Flow is the only still flavored water on the market that has that is certified organic. What makes us stand out most on the shelf is the fact that we’re not in a plastic bottle like other waters – we’re in a unique TetraPak package and even our cap is made of sugar cane.
Our customers appreciate our unique product and once they try it, they usually become customers for life. We have a lot of influential customers that subscribe to Flow monthly. When I saw Shawn Mendes was one of those customers, I had my team reach out because he’s the biggest name in music! I knew that we had to work together. Today he’s an investor in the brand and advisor.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first had the idea of starting a water brand, I knew that my family’s spring was the best water and that I had to have that be our main source. I called my wife, Tammy to tell her how excited I was because we just found out that we had enough water to start the business. She stopped me and asked if I had tested the water. My heart sank because I had gotten so far in the process just knowing that this was good water and hadn’t even tested it yet. We tested it and sure enough, the tests came back, and not only is it the highest-quality, naturally-occurring alkaline water in the market, with a pH of 8.1 at the source and jam-packed full of calcium bicarbonates; it also came back with even more natural electrolytes than Smartwater and other leading electrolyte waters. I got really lucky with that experience, but I learned to always do my due diligence with testing and that has really been important in expanding the business.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self what would you tell him and why?
Keep going and keep working – it always pays off in the end! I’ve started quite a few businesses in my lifetime starting at the age of 18, and the one thing I can say with confidence looking back at all of those companies is that when you have a good idea and work at, it will pay off.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My wife Tammy has been a strong supporter in everything that I do, but with Flow, especially, she has been there since day one. She has a stellar background in fashion and today she is the SVP of Brand Creative at Flow. She has such a strong eye for detail. She is responsible for how our product looks and is the creative force behind our marketing and branding.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Being a positive and mindful force in the world is very important to me, that’s what “Flow” means. Mindfulness guides everything that we do at Flow, from our unique water sources and how we protect them, to our sustainable packaging, innovation and transparent business practices. All choices have a ripple effect. I believe that the water you drink matters, it matters because of how it nourishes your body, as much as the food you eat, how you sleep and exercise. So does protecting our environment. At Flow we do both at the same time by offering the highest quality spring water in a more sustainable alternative to plastic bottles.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
As I mentioned before, I am a firm believer in the power of positivity. I’d love to start a movement of positive and mindful thinking.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/flow/
https://www.pinterest.com/flow_water/?eq=flow%20water&etslf=1193