ChoCho — A Super Protein That Can Redefine What Regenerative Future Means For Us! with Tara Kriese

Co founder with my wife, Mindy.

Okay. Well, you have to tell us all about that. So we have Kopu, talk to us about Kopu. What is Kopu?

So Kopu is bottled water that is sourced from North Central Oregon. We are unique because we have a big focus on harmony. Harmony for the body, so absolutely the best tasting water you can come across. And then also the minerality, the health benefits are in harmony with your body. And then it's also in harmony with the planet. So firstly, it's domestically sourced in the US. And then on top of that, we packaged exclusively in aluminum. And 75% of all aluminum ever created in history is still in use today as the ultimate material.

How did you and your wife decide to come up with building this sparkling water company? Kopu or sparkling and -- What's the inspiration for this?

I've had this idea probably for about 20 odd years. As soon as I came to the States, I noticed that all of the water was coming in from Europe and I was like, there's an opportunity to create a water brand from somewhere else. Fast forward about 15 years or so, I'm in New York City, I met my incredibly beautiful wife, we got married and we're talking about what we want to do, because we're coming to Santa Barbara. I said, I had this idea, Mindy is a huge sparkling water fan. And so we started talking about it. We're like, you know what? Let's do it. And we were on our honeymoon in New Zealand, and we made that decision. And so originally, we bought source from where my father is from in the Bay of Plenty.

Was that intentional choice?

It was.

Okay. And why?

Because back in 2015, 2016, Brand New Zealand was clean and green, and it was an alternative to European brands. Obviously, since then, there's been extraordinary single use plastics, people have become incredibly against, which is fantastic. And then on top of that, more and more, our customers and our consumers were, wow, you're bringing that water all the way in from New Zealand? And there was an issue with a conflict with our brand sustainability, because of the aluminum, 75% of all aluminum ever created is still in use, but bringing in from New Zealand. So we made the decision to deepen our commitment to sustainability. And so we started the process of looking for absolutely the best tasting water in North America.

Right. Great. Wow. And what was it like just researching, finding that place to get the bottle and the water in America coming from New Zealand?

It takes a lot of time because it means jumping on a plane and a car visiting water sources, tasting it, getting testing results, looking at water quality, minerality for calcium, making sure it's not full of nitrates. So that process took quite a while, and we found this hidden spring in North Central Oregon. There's something about Oregon that just suits our brand. It is rugged, it is pure, it is clean, it is green. There are some good similarities with New Zealand, I think. So we found that ultimate combination.

You can tell when you taste it, it's like smaller bubbles than other sparkling water brands. Is that intentional?

Yes. So we wanted to create the champagne of sparkling water. I mean, our still water tastes fantastic, but the sparkling water for us is, that's the energy. It's a champagne, and so in the process of creating those fine champagne like bubbles, there is a lot to it. We spent 12 months here in the States working with carbonating manufacturers, and the process, and different temperatures, and carbonating stones, and pressure, and everything to create that unbelievable bubble.

Really is amazing.

Now, there's a difference between naturally sparkling and not naturally sparkling, right?

Yes.

And so how did you choose yours?

So a little like insider like info here. There is not a single sparkling water on the market that is actually truly natural.

Interesting.

If you look at the water quality reports and you go on the websites, you'll see that it is, they're injecting co2, which is brought around the source. Because if you think about it, when it comes out of the spring, it's going to dissipate and they need to decarbonate it. So every single sparkling water out there has been re-carbonated.

When you're designing the bottle, obviously, you are a luxury brand. It's so beautiful. We thinking about when you were designing it, like the placement of where you wanted to see bottles like restaurants--

Yes. I mean, we wanted to create something that was sleek, something that was beautiful. We did a lot of like, we had an idea about the color that we wanted. But to truly gain trust in our decision, we went out there and we showed different shades of this color to hundreds and hundreds of people. And thank the Lord, everyone seemed to, while the majority seem to agree that this was the right color. We love it because it's a beacon of quality. And so the kinds of clients that we want where it sits really well. places that really focus on curation. Similar to the hotel that you're building, it's all about curation, the best possible products and how it fits in. So it's luxury hotels, its upscale restaurants primarily.

And you chose aluminum. And you chose aluminum because of sustainability?

Yes. So aluminum is actually the sustainability wonder material. And you will see more and more packaging in the coming years in aluminum. And the reason is that 75% of all aluminum ever created in the history of mankind is still in use today. And the reason why it's got extraordinary recycling rates is because it is very, very valuable. And it's getting more valuable, which is a problem because it costs us more.

That was my next question. Does it make it cost prohibitive?

No, because the actual weight of the aluminum in each bottle is small, but it is materials. So it does impact our costs, but not prohibitively. So the commodity value of aluminum has gone from about $1,500 a ton up to about $2,900 a ton. So it's material, but it's not 10 times or 100 times.

And this the size you're doing, or do you have two sizes?

This is kind of the size around the pool, and in the golf course. We have larger sizes, we have 23 sizes for the restaurants and the hotels dining.

So currently right now, where is it available for people to purchase?

So it's online. So on our website, if you go to www.kopuwater.com. And then also, we are in a little bit of upscale grocery and (inaudible), but we really do focus on upscale restaurants, luxury hotels, especially throughout Southern California, and a little bit of Northern California as well.

We'll definitely be having this at our hotel, if you have us.

It would be an honor.

So as you grow this business, are you planning to expand your line?

When we first started, we had to make a decision, are we a water company? Or we are a carbonated beverage company? And we've chosen to be a water company. The market for us is, there's a couple of European brands out there that have about a collectively 95% market share, so there is such an opportunity for us in hotels and restaurants. That is our immediate focus. In years to come, flavors, but it's not where we're at. We really are focused on restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and maybe a few private jets, and super yachts. I mean, we're in a few, that kind of thing.

So I'm just curious, we all define success differently. So for you, how do you define success with your business here?

When my family is happy, that is success. COVID is was a challenge, but success is definitely the happiness within our family.

We've just been talking about this yesterday about COVID in the silver lining of that as people are taking their health more seriously. And one thing I've actually noticed as the millennials, there's a lot of people that are not drinking alcohol anymore and wanting something when they go out. And like this in a champagne glass looks exactly the same. Have you noticed that there's a sort of a trend towards--

Absolutely. And there are people that don't drink. And so what do they do? They can get a mocktail. But this provides them something that they can hold in their hand that is elegant, it matches in suits that have a very cool looking cocktail glass or a glass of wine. So we absolutely see the single serve aluminum bottles in this color, in that way. And also the fact that they are aluminum, that harmony aspect of it, it just feels good. Putting that into the recycling in 60 days, there's going to be a Tesla car, or MacBook computer, or an airplane, or maybe another Coke bottle.

It keeps cold as well. The other thing that I like about it, if you drink those, the water out of the paper ones, it has a funny taste where it doesn't have that.

Yeah. The paper ones are, it's not paper. These paper cardboard ones, there's cardboard, there's aluminum in them, there's plastic in them, and there's very few cities that recycle them. We're not fans of that.

The other thing I like is the size, the size of the mouth here. That was intentional?

Very intentional.

You notice that?

It's a 38 millimeter mouth. We wanted to bake luxury into every aspect of the packaging. So you'll notice the diameter of the bottle, it's very easy to hold

To hold. Even with my small hands.

That's right. The mouth, it's big enough to, rather than sort of gurgling down, having a luxurious pouring experience.

It's also nice. And I don't mean to sound crass, but when the bubbles are too big, you automatically get like a little gassy,

Yes, we have come across a lot of--

I mean, it's not pleasant. People drink this, and it's like they just, it's like an unpleasant experience like listening to a man belch across the room when. Doesn't sound nice. Seriously. But this feels a little bit more civilized.

Yes.

And I like to drink a lot of sparkling water, I put my bitters in it, and I feel like I'm having a cocktail with somebody else. Because if I drink, I can't drive. I get very sleepy. I'm not fun at a party, and I like to drink my fizzy water. I don't want to sound like a man belching, like I'm a nine year old man, a big belly. I'm a civilized lady. But I'm just saying, so the bubbles make a very big difference in the way I feel when I drink it too. It doesn't feel quite as filling, it doesn't feel quite as gaseous.

Yes. Yeah.

And so it doesn't. When you're eating and you're having your lunch or your dinner, I'm getting filled a lot of times when I'm eating, drinking that glass of fizzy water that is so gaseous. If you drink like regular fizzy water, a seltzer or something. This is a very different experience.

Very good. We wanted to create a kind of a velvety consumption experience rather than something that attacks the throat--

Or the stomach.

Exactly. And something that complements fine cuisines, rich cuisines, and it doesn't impact the appetite, but something that cleanses the palate. And so those fine champagne like bubbles are an important part of that.

Wow. So much thought and time has gone into it. It's amazing. I love it.

So if people want to get this, what's your website? How would they find you?

So it's kopuwater.com, and that is K-O-P-U water.com.

Okay, wonderful. And are you currently, where are you in your business? Are you guys just, do you see a lot of growth for the next year? What do you see happening?

We see a lot of growth in the next decade.

The next decade, okay.

We have a strong direct distribution business, we also work with fantastic food service distributors as well. Well, so building out that in a very thoughtful way and having the right resources, we really focus on the service element of what we're doing a white glove delivery, our clients never run out of stock. If they have a huge weekend, we can be there on Sunday night. Okay, let's make it happen. So when we do expand, it's going to be thoughtful, and we will do it in the right way.

Well, that's exciting. Well, I really appreciate you joining us here today.

Thank you.

It's a beautiful bottle. It tastes great. And we look forward to seeing more from Kopu.

Thank you Justin.