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16 October 6 • 2016
Entrepreneur Jody Levy creates WTRMLN WTR,
attracts Beyonce as an investor.
Robin Schwartz | Contributing Writer
U
gly melons are sitting pretty these
days in a first-of-its-kind sports
drink that’s taken the world by
storm. WTRMLN WTR (watermelon
water or cold-pressed, bottled watermelon
juice) is made with two simple ingre-
dients: fresh watermelon and organic
lemon.
Even the name of the product, spelled
without vowels, uses “only the essentials,”
says artist-turned-beverage-company-
owner Jody Levy. She created the drink to
address the problem of food waste after
learning roughly 800 million pounds of
perfectly good watermelons go unused
in the United States every year — simply
because of their looks.
“We source the seconds,” Levy explains,
“ugly watermelons or those that people
don’t want to buy because they are seeded,
sunburned, oddly shaped or aesthetically
imperfect.”
Levy, who grew up in Birmingham
and attended Cranbrook, co-founded
WTRMLN WTR in 2013 with her friend
Harlan Berger. She presently lives in New
York. Three years after its founding, the
juicy pink drink can be found at Whole
Foods Market, Plum Market, Kroger,
Costco, Papa Joes and 7,500 other stores
nationwide. The com-
pany has 40 full-time
employees and four
manufacturing facili-
ties in Michigan, New
York, New Jersey and
California. Oh, and
Beyonce is one of their
investors. As you might
Beyonce is an
imagine,
that made
investor.
headlines when the
news broke in May.
“I invested in WTRMLN WTR because
it’s the future of clean, natural hydration.
As partners, we share a simple mission to
deliver accessible wellness to the world,”
the entertainment icon said in a press
release. “This is more than an investment
in a brand; it’s an investment in female
leaders, fitness, American farmers and the
health of people and our planet.”
Levy caught Beyonce’s attention by
sending her cases of WTRMLN WTR
details
after the singer released her track “Drunk
in Love” with the lyric, “I’ve been drinking
watermelon.” The two eventually met and
decided to form a partnership.
“She really is connected to our ethos
and our mission, which we call ‘seeding
change,’” Levy says. “Our use of waste
melons, our use of waste from produc-
tion (the company uses 100 percent of its
waste. For example, the pulp goes to feed
livestock). Beyonce aligned with many of
our company’s core values.”
NO SUGAR ADDED
The sweet drink contains no additives; it’s
ugar. The company
low in calories and sugar.
says it’s packed with electrolytes (especial-
mino acid L-citrulline
ly potassium), the amino
and the antioxidant lycopene. The product
-free, non-GMO,
is all-natural, gluten-free,
vegan and kosher. It’s made using an
cience known as high-
innovation in food science
pressure processing.
eserve the nutri-
“We are able to preserve
ents, flavor and good d enzymes and
kill harmful bacteria, , ” Levy says.
ave a
“That allows us to have
45-day shelf life.”
LN
Levy calls WTRMLN
st expen-
WTR “one of the least
cessible,
sive ($3.99), most accessible,
cold-pressed juices on the
market.”
Financial details were not disclosed, but
nnual revenues [are]
the company says “annual
currently on pace to more than triple in
ous year.”
2016 from the previous
Levy has received national press
agazine, Vogue
coverage in Time magazine,
and Men’s Health (to name a
few). It’s no wonder she refers
liquid
to her invention as “liquid
love.”
“I never envisioned d
ar
myself anywhere near
y,”
the beverage industry,
very
she says. “I look at every
ce
bottle as this interface
to a bigger story — from
tion, bring-
farm to bottle education,
ing awareness of the ingredients and
purity of the product. t.”
is creative entrepre-
What’s next for this
Looking for WTRMLN WTR? You’ll find it locally at t Whole Foods
Market, Plum Market, Kroger, Costsco and Papa Joe’s.
oe’s. For more
information, visit www.wtrmlnwtr.com.
neur? Levy is also a partner in a mezcal
spirits company called GEM&Bolt. Mezcal
is an agave-based liquor. The company
is currently in Austin, Texas, and Los
Angeles, making its way across the globe.
When she’s not traveling the world or
whipping up unique beverages, Levy still
comes home to visit family members and
friends in Metro Detroit. In the future, she
also hopes to bring business back to her
hometown.
“I’m a fifth-generation Detroiter. I’m a
totally proud Detroiter,” she says. “When
people ask, ‘Where are you from?’ I say,
‘Detroit.’”
*
s 2016
MB JEWELRY DESIGN
Saving The Watermelons!
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Then Until Now
Jody Levy