café q&a
With the anticipated launch of the cafeHydrate smart phone app right around the corner, I’ve been asked quite a few questions about the company. What is cafeHydrate exactly and why is it unique? So, while sipping on a bottle of Krusmølle Klide, I pulled together answers to some frequently asked questions as well as some information I’d like to share.
Q: First of all, what is Krusmølle Kilde?
A: Krusmølle Kilde is an award winning bottled water from Denmark. The land where the spring is located has a rich history, combined with an interesting taste and bottle design. Many of the buildings near where the spring is located were used for mills back in 1519. You can find out more about Krusmølle Kilde and hundreds of other bottled waters when cafeHydrate goes live.
Q: Why did you start cafeHydrate?
A: I’ve always been interested in different bottled and mineral waters on the market. As a person devoted to health and fitness, I mostly drink water. I’m also a marketing professional, so interesting packaging and smart marketing concepts have always piqued my interest.
Drinking as much water as I do, I wanted answers to lingering questions in the back of my mind, and I wanted information to help me figure out where I stood on the bottled vs tap water debate. I also wanted to know what the differences were between the multitude of bottled waters on the market, and perhaps which ones were best for me.
When I started researching bottled waters I found all sorts of interesting tidbits, often sharing them with friends and family. I had so much information to organize that I started looking for ways to package what I was finding so that anyone could use the information to help them answer their own questions.
After attending a user interface conference in San Francisco, I started putting it together on the flight home. I decided that a smart phone app was the best tool and the most unique way to package the content. Having decided that, my new objective was to make sure it was nothing less than a world class app.
Q: What is the difference between bottled water and tap?
A: I have something in store to answer that question, stayed tuned for my next article.
Q: You mentioned making a “world class” app, can you expand on that?
A: In my research of product guide apps, the number one criticism I kept running across is that there is little or no content about the actual products. Most give a basic product listing and a few high level details. I noticed this in beer guide apps, wine apps, even grocery store apps. It takes a lot of time to research the multitudes of products out there, compose content and even try all these products, which might explain the criticism. Just in the US alone, there are over 350 bottled water products marketed, and approximately 3,500 worldwide.
The app itself had to be top notch in user interface architecture and design. As an award winning designer with 25 years of marketing expertise at my disposal, I decided I was going to do it right, no cutting corners. So, as I developed the app, I conducted a lot of informal focus group testing, showing prototypes and asking questions, and I learned a lot. I received a tremendous amount of support and confirmation that consumers want their water questions answered.
Q: How many products does cafeHydrate have?
A: We strive to have all the mainstream products marketed in the US including imported brands and smaller lesser known regional brands too. I’ll keep adding to the portfolio of products with each update.
Q: With all those bottles, how is cafeHydrate planet friendly?
A: I wanted make sure to do something good for our planet. At cafeHydrate, we pledge to donate 1% of our total proceeds to clean water initiatives around the globe.
The company is also all digital and eco friendly. Everything is electronically done via email, web and of course, smart phone. The one concession to paper products are business cards. In addition, I reuse and recycle all the bottles that I purchase and drink.
Q: What makes cafeHydrate unique?
A: This is the only guide of its kind. Yes, there are lots of water oriented apps available, but they focus on how much you should drink per day, or something to that effect. cafeHydrate is different. I focus on the research of bottled water products and strive to answer questions so shoppers can make an informed purchasing decisions to eliminate the confusion about and the differences between bottled waters. It’s an app that you can use often as you come across different bottled waters. It’s designed to be quick and easy when you need it to be, or when time allows, you can dive into some of the more meaty content like the story section of each water.
Coming soon to a smart phone near you.
With cafeHydrate launching soon, I wanted to say thank you to all my friends and colleagues for all their support. I’ve really enjoyed the journey and now, when I have my own water question, I have cafeHydrate handy on my phone and am satisfied with an answer right away.