Hydrate your customers’ imagination with storytelling

Water is much more than a means of hydration. Water sommelier Milin Patel introduces you to the secrets of water storytelling and how you can use it as an advantage in your water purification business.

Whiskey can be cerealy or peaty. Cognac sometimes has a citrus flavor on the nose. Wine is often jammy. But what about water? Is it just… wet?

Although water is an essential brick in the puzzle of life, very few humans have a vocabulary for its flavor. One of the few, however, is water sommelier Milin Patel. With finely tuned taste buds and a background in water consultancy, he believes that the storytelling of water has an untapped potential that can spark the imagination of water consumers around the world. And producers of water purifiers can use this to their advantage.

"We have never been educated to describe the taste of water. It was always there just to be a hydration product. But by informing others how wonderful natural water is, we as a society could learn to embrace its value and give it the value it deserves," Milin Patel says. He continues:

"Once you start getting into the storytelling of water, you realize that water is not just for hydration. It’s something that can be enjoyed and discovered with friends and family."

Hydrate the imagination*

A water’s flavor is influenced by various components. Chlorine, of course, has a huge impact on the taste. But calcium, magnesium, potassium, alkalinity, bicarbonate, and iron also affect the taste profile and complexity of the water.

The flavors of water originate from the water’s journey through the geology and how it is treated before it ends up in the glass. According to Milin Patel, water can taste citrussy, salty, earthy or milky and be soft or hard on the palate. Just like wine.

"I have no superpowers when it comes to water. The flavors are genuine. They are subtle, but they’re there. Be mindful when you drink water, enjoy it at room temperature, and you’ll start tasting the nuances," says Milin Patel.

However, water lacks the fairytale element that other liquids have long been taking advantage of. Storytelling helps build interest around the product and can be utilized in an effort to stand out against other players in the drinking water membrane industry.

"It’s all about hydrating the imagination by bringing the fairytale into the story. I find it very difficult telling a fairytale about a drink that is made in a factory, but with water it is much easier," says Milin Patel.

Make your brand stand out

Whether the water has been treated deep under a volcano or is fed through an interesting water membrane, there is a potential for effective storytelling which can set your brand apart from other water purifier companies, according to Milin Patel:

"Be mindful with water, respect it and think of ways you as a company can celebrate water. Don’t look at it as just a hydration product. It is more than that."

Use Aquaporin Inside® to improve your storytelling

Milin Patel’s own company, Fine Liquids, uses Aquaporin Inside® water purifiers in their range of products. 

The Aquaporin Inside® drinking water membranes are the only drinking water membranes in the world to use aquaporins – nature’s own water filters – to purify water. This sparks a range of storytelling opportunities as it positively changes taste, removes chlorine, and provides more confidence in regard to drinking tap water. It allows for improving tap water at home, often bringing a dramatically new taste and mouthfeel – with help from nature.

*’Hydrate the imagination’ is trademarked by Milin Patel, Fine Liquids UK.