With a new CEO at her side and the company’s freshly-debuted BLNDS line of function-specific juices in her booth, WTRMLN WTR founder Jody Levy was particularly upbeat at the recently held Natural Products Expo West 2017. In an interview with BevNET CEO John Craven, Levy expressed optimism that, with key pieces in place, the cold-pressed watermelon juice brand is primed to grow beyond its roots in the natural channel and into more conventional retailers. She also said, however, that she believes in taking a “sustainable approach to growth” and not hurrying the process.
“It’s not about flying and going as fast as we can,” Levy said. “It’s about continuing to build a foundation in a way that’s working together.”
Christine Perich, the former New Belgium Brewing CEO who joined WTRMLN WTR as its CEO in January, concurred. Praising Levy’s vision of building a mission-driven company focused on sustainable agriculture and food production, Perich, who had been with the brewery for 16 years, believes her role is to “honor that mission and grow in a really scalable way.”
“I think businesses are much more successful if early on understand where they’re trying to go,” Perich said. “They can create that roadmap… and you get there in a way that you feel really good about.”
Watch the above video in which Levy and Perich discuss more about their approach to scaling the WTRMLN WTR brand, including sourcing and distribution initiatives and how they fit into the company’s eco-friendly business model.