Cedars, November 2017

November 2017 10 OFF CAMPUS by Alexandria Hentschel F or Taylor Minor and Charles Nick, ABC’s reality television series “Shark Tank,” where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to investors, was just the push their fledgling company, Third Wave Water, needed. The water additive brand is based in Cedarville next door to Telemetry Coffee Roasters, Minor’s coffee shop. Third Wave Water sells mineral capsules of calcium, magnesium, and sodium that add flavor to distilled water. Their invention solves for regional variations in the composition of water, which affect the taste of brewed cof- fee. Nick and Minor presented their inven- tion to the panel of the reality show’s inves- tors, known collectively as “The Sharks.” The Sharks agreed that the coffee brewed with Third Wave Water’s secret formula tasted better. The small business owners left with a $100,000 investment from real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran. The invest- ment fell through in the following months though. Minor and Nick are optimistic, howev- er, and describe the show as a positive ex- perience that led to a surge in business and publicity. “It was surreal,” Minor said. “It’s fair- ly common that deals don’t go through — about 40 percent of them don’t. The invest- ment was ended on good terms — it was just over contract disagreements. The real value of the show is just going on the show. In the end, it’s like we almost didn’t need her in- vestment because we got the investment of 9,000 orders.” The Shark Tank process began almost 10 months ago for the small company. The show’s producers found Third Wave Wa- ter through their Kickstarter campaign and invited the company to apply. They went through a laborious admission pro- cess. “It was challenging because we had so many other things going on at the same time, and they kept asking for more and more information,” Nick said. “It’s not so much a TV show as investors on a TV show. So there’s a lot of vetting.” The “Shark Tank” process is often a mystery to viewers, but Minor and Nick mentioned that the producers were very helpful in telling the company how to best make their presentation. The company was ultimately accepted, and filmed the pitch in June. The episode Third Wave Water Still Riding the ‘Shark Tank’ Wave Photo by Jessica St. Onge Charles Nick works busily in Third Wave Water’s “Coffee Lab,” located next to Telemetry Coffee Roasters. Nick and Taylor Minor work late hours to keep up with sudden influx of orders.