It Started With a Frustration and a Plastic Jug
Back in 2016, a guy named Hayden Wadsworth was watching a fitness video on YouTube. The influencer was talking about water jugs — how the ones at the grocery store were flimsy, had small openings, no handles, or were meant to be thrown away after one use. Hayden had one of those lightbulb moments: nobody's making a quality jug.
So he called his brother Jake. They were both students at the time, broke, and working whatever jobs they could find. Hayden had a six-month gap between his undergrad and grad school, and he figured it was now or never. Jake had some money saved up — for an engagement ring, actually — and he threw it into the business instead. That's how much they believed in this thing.
They started in their family's garage in Ogden, Utah. The first run of products came in just three colors: clear, black, and white. They packed orders by hand, drove around delivering them, and didn't take a single paycheck for the first two or three years. It was not glamorous. It was barely sustainable. But the jugs worked, and people started noticing.
Why a Jug Became a Movement
Here's the thing about hydration: most people know they should drink more water, but they don't. Why? Because it's annoying. Small bottles need constant refilling. Cheap plastic jugs leak. Nothing looks good, so you leave it at home. And the cycle continues.
The original half-gallon jug solved that. It was big enough that you weren't constantly running to the sink. The opening was wide enough to actually clean and add ice. The handle made it easy to carry. And it looked decent enough that you didn't feel weird hauling it to class or the gym.
That simple idea — make hydration easier and something you're actually proud to carry — turned into something much bigger. Within three years of launching, the company grew by over 9,000 percent and crossed $10 million in annual revenue. By 2020, over 900,000 units had been sold.
What We Make Now
The lineup has grown way beyond that first plastic jug. Today, there are the Traveler tumblers — 40-ounce stainless steel cups with triple-wall insulation, a circular flip straw, a soft-touch ambidextrous lid, and a leakproof design that actually works. They fit in most cup holders. They're dishwasher safe. They come in colors and patterns that change with the seasons.
There are the sleeves — premium neoprene covers that keep your drink cold longer, prevent condensation, and give you a place to stash your phone and keys. There are Sport tumblers, Everyday tumblers, half-gallon and gallon jugs, can coolers, and accessories that make the whole hydration habit easier to stick with.
And everything is built around the same idea: if you make hydration convenient, stylish, and genuinely enjoyable, people will actually do it. Not because they're forcing themselves, but because they want to.
What We Actually Care About
Quality matters here. Every product is backed by a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. The materials are BPA-free, the stainless steel is 18/8 grade, and the insulation is triple-wall because cutting corners on temperature retention is just lazy.
Attention to detail matters too. The lid on the Traveler flips open and closed with one hand. The rubber base keeps it from sliding or scratching surfaces. The shape is designed to fit in cup holders, because what's the point of a travel tumbler that doesn't travel well?
Aesthetics matter. That's not superficial — it's the reason people actually carry their water bottle instead of leaving it in the car. If it looks good, you use it. If you use it, you drink more water. Simple as that.
And community matters. This brand was built by people who responded to comments, answered DMs, and listened when customers said "hey, can you make this in a different size" or "this color would be cool." That's still how it works. The people who use these products are the reason the next product exists.
Where We Are Now
More than 2 million bottles sold. Over 500,000 community members. An average rating of 4.8 stars. Eight-plus years of building, shipping, and iterating.
But the real metric is simpler than any of that. It's whether someone picks up their jug, takes a sip, and feels good about the choice they made. Whether hitting their water goals feels less like a chore and more like something they actually want to do.
That's the whole point. Hydration shouldn't be a punishment. It should be the easiest, most enjoyable part of your day.
Thanks for being here. Now go drink some water.