Cedars, November 2017

November 2017 11 OFF CAMPUS premiered Oct. 8. “Getting on the show, regardless of what happened, was still a huge win for us,” Nick said. “It was a very positive experience. We have a good working relationship with Barbara’s people, and we can still use them as assets and contacts.” At their headquarters, Third Wave Wa- ter’s small office is full to bursting — there are boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling, with barely any space to maneuver. Minor and Nick have to raise their voices to be heard over the deafening machinery. “We’re packing at full capacity — mak- ing about four times more, and filling about 1,000 orders a day,” Minor said. “We have a backlog of orders from the show. I don’t think there’s anything else in the country — other than maybe Oprah’s book club — where you don’t pay for anything and you get that much exposure. Usually you have to pay millions for that kind of advertising.” Minor and Nick first conceived of the idea of “dehydrated water” in 2016 and ex- perimented until they found a way to elimi- nate the need for the complicated water fil- tration and treatment process used in coffee shops. Their goal was to make quality coffee accessible in customers’ homes. Their min- eral blend complies with Specialty Coffee Association standards for optimal brewing water. They currently offer a “Classic Pro- file” and an “Espresso Profile” — each pack contains 12 mineral capsules, and each cap- sule makes one gallon of water optimized for brewing coffee. Since the company’s founding, Third Wave Water has received several awards and plenty of exposure — they have been featured on The Independent, Thrillist, Re- finery29, Food & Wine, and several other websites. The Shark Tank experience gave the company the spotlight it needed to be- gin rapidly expanding. Since going on the show, they have shipped their product to over 50 countries and all 50 states. “So many doors are opening up because of going on the show that never would have happened before,” Minor said. The company is looking to the future, hoping to capitalize on the exposure from the show and continue to build its loyal cus- tomer base. They have a few new product ideas, but Nick cautions that nothing new will be released until they have perfected their current offerings. “Just like iPhones or any new prod- uct, you have to tier your products,” he said. “You don’t want to just throw ev- erything out at once, and we have a lot of other product that is coming. We’re kind of hammering down where we’re at today, making this product the best experience we can with the new foil and the new film, and then eventually, there will be more stuff in the works.” Minor is focused on catching up with the backlog of orders from Shark Tank but mentioned that he always enjoys experi- menting and has plenty of ideas for the fu- ture. “We have new stuff always in the pipe- line, but right now it’s about nailing down what we have now,” he said. “The goal is to launch some new products in January and February — but I’ll just say that our next ideas are super secret.” One project that they agreed to disclose was a research capstone that they contrib- uted to with the University of Dayton for the research institute. It will be announced publicly soon. “That’s not the only thing under the hood — it’s just one of the big projects,” Nick said. Even as Third Wave Water is growing rapidly, Minor and Nick both emphasized that theirs is a local company with local con- nections. They have hired about 12 college students from the area and are hoping to hire an official intern soon. Nick mentioned that working with local universities such as Wright State and Ohio State, as well as Cedarville, has been “very fun.” They will also be expanding their small offices into the building next door, hopefully making enough room for their rapidly grow- ing business. “We’re pretty tight here and already losing room, but we’re planning on staying around,” Minor said. “Cedarville’s not such a bad place.” Alexandria Hentschel is a sophomore In- ternational Studies and Spanish double major and the Off-Campus news editor for Cedars. She enjoys old books, strong coffee, and honest debate. Photos by Jessica St. Onge Taylor Minor and Charles Nick began their Third Wave Water company in September of 2016.