More than Water
Take a Hint from Kara Goldin, business isn’t just about creating a revolutionary product; it’s about the effect the company causes in the greater community. Her pure drive is easily notable. She walked into Whole Foods, talked to the manager and had her product sitting on shelves soon after. This drive has pushed her business to be so much more than a beverage company. She is always on the clock. Hint is the definition of a family business, although the company reaches far and wide, they care for their customers like a small Mom & Pop Restaurant. Hint goes beyond embodying Kara’s goal to create products people love to use, so they can live healthier lives.
“I didn’t even know it was a company, like this was an idea, I just thought, gosh, why am I looking for a job in tech? Because that’s all I knew. Like, it’d be kind of fun just to get a product on the shelf and Whole Foods.” She realized what she created was special and was missing from the beverage market, “[Y]es, we produce a product, but it’s not about, the same thing as Coke and Pepsi, they didn’t ever have, you know, health in the vocabulary. They may have healthy perception like let’s call something ‘diet’, but they’re not, sort of, leading with, ‘we have to make sure to use the right fruit’.” The motives that drive Kara and, consequently, Hint, contrast those of other beverage companies. Hint is Kara’s vessel to make change, not only on a customer level but in the world as a whole. She is selective with materials, making sure they are safe for the consumer, but goes far beyond direct impact. Kara looks at supply chains and even addressing current issues, such as recycling. Kara is a change maker.
The impact of the company is geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle, but Kara took it a step further: She took responsibility for Hint’s environmental obligation.
“We’ve done quite a bit of research on this… plastic actually gets, sort of clumped into a wide category when it actually should be separated and to multiple categories based on the type of plastic… we use PET plastic,” she stated. Her reasoning? In San Francisco, 95% of PET plastics is recycled. This is different than many other bottles that “try and trick consumers into believing that their packaging is better by saying we use up to 30%, of compostable material in our bottles… they’re putting, compostable materials,” since these beverage companies combine two different materials the plastic goes straight to the landfill.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) also trying to become more environmentally responsible has removed water bottles from stores within the terminal, but upon entering SFO travelers notice that Hint water is still available for purchase. Even though water is in its name, Hint water is not categorized as bottled water because it is infused with all natural fruit.
The “Green Effect,” Kara explained was when people think they are doing what is best for the environment but are not consequently, for example:
On one trip through SFO, she noticed the aluminum bottles of sodas and fruity drinks sitting next to her own. Her husband, who she runs Hint hand in hand with, proceeded to strip open the bottle and look inside, “… what’s so crazy is that the plastic inside those aluminum water bottles that are supposed to be better for the planet have 12 grams of plastic lining inside. And just in comparison, water bottles have six.”
Kara was shocked by this discovery, she dove deeper into this company uncovering not only that the claims of a more “eco friendly packaging” were false but the beverage company were being vocal about the misleading advertisement. For many consumers, they think they are doing the best for the environment, contributing less waste by buying alternative materials. They are gravely misinformed. Unfortunately, by purchasing these beverages bottled in aluminum or other mixed material packaging, they cause more damage than a normal plastic bottle, a perfect example of the “Green Effect” Kara was explaining.
The deeper Kara dug, the scarier reality got, and many people had no idea how harmful the packaging was. Due to FDA regulations beverage companies are limited to less than 1% of BPA in each bottle. Many companies try and find loopholes around these regulations, “the way that they get around … that the cans are all lined with something called styrene and styrene is a known carcinogen… So the BPA is touching, the food, drink, and… the other part is styeren, you know is baking inside the can…”
These types of loopholes add waste to the environment and are an unknown health threat to the public. Kara has thought beyond Hint on multiple occasions, showing the depth of not only her knowledge but how much she cares for her customers. These hidden realities that most companies try and hide or mask with new gimmick, she pursues and pushes to uncover the truth never going for the easiest solution.
The tone of the conversation changed, she started talking about the chain of impact beyond the surface value, “the price of corn has actually risen three times in the last couple of years… we’re making these freaking cups out of them (corn) … and so they actually can’t afford to… have food…. you were robbing somebody, some family in Mexico from actually eating dinner tonight…” Her resolve intensified, and I could hear a slight annoyance at the ignorance many consumers have to this prevalent issue.
The cadence of her voice was steady and adamant, “Yeah. It’s crazy.. you know, and again, it’s a longer discussion”. Kara has been continuing this conversation all on her own, using Hint to fight against unsafe water poisoned by contamination.
Kara’s fight for clean water has brought her into the national spotlight,, “I’m going a week from Tuesday, I’m going to Washington and trying to actually bring before the Senate…” she is working alongside many others who are trying to fight against water contamination, specifically lead which is currently is one of the most prevalent issues for clean water.
Kara’s motives are questioned by many as a beverage company interested in clean water, constantly she is prompted by senators, “what’s in it for Hint?”
Her motives are clear and it has no ulterior motive: “I’m a parent, I know a lot about water. And I think it’s absolutely disgusting that we are, you know, when people sit here and think, Oh, I’ll just go, you know, drink out of the drinking fountain or they, or worse, they tell their children to go to school and drink out of the drinking fountain.”
Kara and Hint are cause and effect. She has utilized Hint to make a profound difference and start conversations that go way beyond the water she produces, beyond her ingredients, beyond her paygrade. Using her water she is making waves in the community for social change not only at the dinner table, but in the outer ethos of the world.
