What is Gluten Free Diet Water and is it legit?
Among hundreds of water brands, one hopes to stand out from all the rest: Gluten Free Diet Water.
The name catches one's attention and makes them question if there's a gluten-free alternative to regular H2O.
The simple answer: No.
But Gluten Free Diet Water founders Robert Boykin and Lauren White, known as Uncle Bob and Lolo, figured, “Everybody needs water and everybody needs a good laugh.”
“We believe that there are two things in life that you need: You can’t survive without water, and for our mental health, you can’t really survive without a laugh,” White tells TODAY.com. “Which is why our water provides you with the two things in life that you need: water and a laugh.”
About three years ago, Boykin was musing over the idea of creating the brand when thinking about diet culture. He decided to develop the idea with White, who is his nephew’s wife.
“It’s pretty simple,” Boykin tells TODAY.com about developing the product. “We don’t try to overcomplicate it.”
White adds, “It’s just water. It’s not that serious.”
Related: How much water do you really need to drink a day?
Trendy water brands — some with fun marketing, others with a sustainability twist — have been popping up over the years.
In 2009, Boxed Water Is Better introduced a sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles with its boxed carton design. Liquid Death was released in 2019 and is known for its “Murder your thirst” tagline. Last year, the brand was valued at $700 million, per CNBC.
Earlier this year, Monster released Tour Water, which was originally created in 2003 for Vans Warped Tour musicians and athletes.
Gluten Free Diet Water wants in on the water game. The company is fairly new to the public. It was initially sold at Boykin's hotel, The Pink Shell Resort, in Fort Myers, Florida.
The water’s new look and water source, Palomar Mountain in Southern California, has only been available for the last 13 months.
“We launched the website early last year and that was truly us getting into the water business,” White shares. “Month over month, we have increased our sales but only in the last few months have things really kicked off because of the marketing.”
The marketing and name is what has caught the attention of its buyers, which consist of East Coast companies, Los Angeles pilates studios and doctors' offices.
Related: 8 easy ways to drink more water, according to a registered dietitian
So far, White says the reception to the orange-label water bottle has been entertaining. She says there's always two reactions when they see the bottle.
“There’s the one person that sees it and they’re like, ‘Ah, I wish I thought about that!’ or ‘Oh, that’s funny!’” White says. “And then there’s the people that are literally having a mental breakdown...You look at them and you’re like, ‘Let me help you out. Are you thinking, does water have gluten?’ and I go, ‘No. All water’s gluten free.’”
But aside from water’s natural health benefits, Gluten Free Diet water is also a great conversation starter.
“I’ve never shown it to somebody who didn’t laugh,” Boykin says.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
