A History Of Spotting And Seizing Market Opportunities
Goldin searched supermarket aisles but couldn't find fruit-flavored water that was made without artificial coloring or sweetener. In 2005, she brought the water to market and named it"Hint" for theit had. That year her local Whole Foods agreed to test the product by buying 10 cases. The bottles flew off the shelves.
"We're a consumer-led brand," emphasized Goldin. Yet, through its three distribution channels, Hint did not have direct contact with customers. In 2014, the company launched its direct-to-consumer platform at drinkhint.com."As of March of this year, we have had more than 1 million customers shop on the site." The site allows the company to get feedback from customers on new products. 2020 was expected to be a big year.
Costco reached out at the end of March. They asked if Hint could handle going national with them. Typically, Costco tests a new product region by region. The retail channel exploded. It wasn't just their existing retailers, but new retailers, and now Costco. All three SGC partners—Amy Wildstein, Kay Koplovitz, and Lori Wachs—called to find out how Hint was faring during the pandemic. Goldin shared that sales were skyrocketing. The SGC team asked if she had enough money to handle the growth.