Water works: In conversation with Flow CEO Nicholas Reichenbach
These are challenging times for many Canadian businesses. They’re facing uncertain economic and political times, tariffs and inflationary pressures.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Flow CEO Nicholas Reichenbach talks about how his co navigating choppy waters and sailing boldly into the future with new products, strategic partnerships and a laser focus on sustainability.
CSNC: We’ve got to start by talking about tariffs. How might they affect Flow?
NR: This is a real issue. Initially, it seemed like tariffs were idle negotiation tactics. But with the announcement of aluminum and steel tariffs, they will have an impact. From a beverage company perspective, that's a big lift for any beverage company. That's where your margins are. However, this doesn't really affect flow because we have a spring in Virginia we bought in 2018. It has almost identical quality of the mineral water as my family’s spring in Bruce County in Ontario. We just need to find a co-packer in the U.S. We will easily go back to manufacturing in the U.S., while maintaining our Canadian operations.
CSNC: You’re now launching Flow sparkling waters in aluminum bottles. How will that play out given the tariff challenges?
NR: Aluminum is big for us. We broke the ground with Tetra Paks globally. We're the largest bottled water company using them. Now, moving into sparkling water we can apply our environmental practices to aluminum. Our aluminum bottles use 60% less aluminum than regular cans. They’re 100% recyclable and ship with 60% less carbon emissions.
CSNC: Your aluminum packaging and cardboard Tetra-Paks are wise choices given the growing concern about the micro-plastics in plastic water bottles. What initially inspired you to go that route?
NR: When I was attending Burning Man in Nevada, I had a couple of epiphanies. I was not only stunned by the mountain of plastic water bottle waste I saw, but I was also struck by how horrible the water in the plastic bottle tasted after being in the hot desert all day. I knew there was plastic leaching into the water and thought, “This can’t be good for me. There’s got to be a better way.’ That led me to create Flow and choose environmentally friendly packaging.
CSNC: The launch of Flow sparkling water is big news right now. What else is on the horizon?
NR: We’ve been in enhanced water for a while and now we’re moving into functional enhanced water, bringing functional and taste attributes to create a great portfolio for hydration. It’s electrolytes, magnesium salts, calcium and essential minerals. We continue to innovate.
CSNC: You can share the news about Toronto Blue Jays legend José Bautista and his involvement with Flow.
NR: Joey Bats, as fans call him, is now a strategic advisor and investor, bringing his high-performance mindset to the brand’s marketing and media strategy. His involvement not only boosts Flow’s credibility in the sports and wellness space but also reinforces its retail positioning as a go-to hydration choice for active consumers. I knew José loved Flow and one thing led to another, and I found myself on the phone with him a few weeks ago. He made a strategic investment in Flow with his own money and helped us promote it, not only to Canadians, but to Americans as well. We’ll be working with him on a summer campaign and some uniquely Canadian marketing for our retailers.
CSNC: And there’s soccer-related news, too.
NR: Flow has become the official spring water of Inter Miami CF for the 2025 MLS season. It was a landmark deal that took a long time to flush out because the biggest brands in the world also wanted it. This partnership places Flow in front of thousands of fans at Chase Stadium, integrating the brand into the game-day experience and expanding its presence in a key U.S. market. We’re putting out co-branded bottles at the stadium to enhance visibility and brand recognition.
CSNC: How important are convenience stores to Flow?
NR: It’s a huge channel for us. We’re in 5,000 to 6,000 gas and convenience stores in Canada, including Couche-Tard, Mac’s and Petro-Canada. They’re a nice platform for promotions. This summer, we’ll be doing a lot of promotions around our Hydrate Up campaign and introducing not only our Tetra format, but also our new sparkling waters. It’s going to be huge.