What happens when you spot a problem in your own life, create the product you wish existed and then refuse to give up when almost nobody else understands the idea?
In this episode of The Drinks Entrepreneur Podcast, Alex sits down with Kristal Baker, founder of Luxwells, the botanical-infused water brand created to make everyday hydration a more enjoyable, premium experience.
And Kristalโs route into the drinks industry was anything but conventional.
After 17 years working in property, with no previous drinks industry or entrepreneurial experience, the original idea for Luxwells came from a deeply personal place. During pregnancy and the year that followed, Kristal found herself cutting out many of the drinks she had previously enjoyed while simultaneously needing to drink more water, something she had always found decidedly uninspiring.
That frustration sparked an idea: could something as simple as water be transformed into an experience you actually looked forward to?
What followed was years of experimentation with real flowers and botanicals, evenings and weekends spent developing recipes, manufacturing setbacks, COVID delays, packaging challenges and plenty of moments when walking away would have been the easier option.
Even some of the people closest to Kristal weren't convinced.
โFlowers in water? Like vase water?โ
But Kristal kept going.
She developed three distinctive flavour combinations: Rose & Honey, Hibiscus & Mint and Lavender & Pear, while remaining committed to using real ingredients and avoiding the artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and sweeteners she had deliberately set out to move away from.
Then things began to move very quickly.
After entering Pitch Live at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, Kristal found herself pitching a business she'd largely built behind the scenes....and won.
One of the judges was a buyer from Fortnum & Mason.
She approached Kristal afterwards about stocking Luxwells, leading to one of the brand's first major retail listings. Opportunities with Selfridges followed, while all three Luxwells flavours received recognition at the Great Taste Awards.
In this episode, Kristal and Alex explore:
๐น How a difficult pregnancy ultimately inspired the idea for Luxwells
๐ง Why making hydration genuinely enjoyable became the mission behind the brand
๐งช The extraordinary amount of trial, error and product development behind a seemingly simple drink
๐ฟ Why Kristal refused to compromise on using real flowers and natural ingredients
๐ง Manufacturing setbacks, COVID delays and the realities of developing a drinks product from scratch
๐ก Why friends and family aren't necessarily your target customer, or the best judge of your idea
๐ค Going from having no pitching experience to winning Pitch Live
๐ฌ How Fortnum & Mason became one of Luxwells' first major retail listings
๐ What industry recognition and Great Taste Awards meant after years of uncertainty
๐ฅ The persistence, resilience and sheer determination required to keep going when an idea isn't immediately understood
๐ฉโ๐ง How building Luxwells unexpectedly inspired Kristal's young daughter to start her own entrepreneurial journey
๐ And Kristal's ambitions to take Luxwells further into international markets, including the US, Middle East and Asia
Perhaps the most powerful lesson from Kristal's story is that other people don't necessarily need to see your vision before you start pursuing it.
Sometimes you have to build it first.
From experimenting with flowers at home after putting her daughter to bed, to seeing Luxwells on the shelves of some of Britain's best-known retailers, this is a brilliant conversation about backing an idea, learning an entirely new industry from scratch and having the persistence to bring something genuinely different to market.
๐๏ธ The Drinks Entrepreneur Podcast.....with Kristal Baker, founder of Luxwells.
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