Thirsty? Charitable? Talk to Ben Lewis

College freshman and PurBlu CEO Ben Lewis talks about his water bottle brand, GIVE. Customers can buy different colored water bottles to make donations to various types of charities.

Wharton freshman Ben Lewis would like nothing more than to walk into any convenience store and see GIVE, his own brand of water, for sale.

That just might become a possibility very soon.

Lewis was 18 years old when he founded his own bottled water company called PurBlu with his cousin and two high school friends, including current Wharton freshman Jesse Rudolph. Today, he runs the company as CEO along with Chief Operating Officer Gary Paparella, a beverage industry expert with 28 years of experience who previously worked at Cadbury Schweppes.

Alongside his classes at Penn, Lewis takes occasional business trips back to his hometown of Pittsburgh to work from the 2,000-square-foot company office on the eighth floor of One Oxford Centre.

Lewis said he sees himself as a "philanthropreneur." Though his company is for-profit and one of hundreds of brands in a $10-billion-a-year industry, what distinguishes PurBlu is the concept behind it: "Drink GIVE. Do good."

"The bottled water industry has been under a lot of scrutiny lately," said Lewis. "What I'm trying to achieve with GIVE is to leverage the rapid growth of bottled water and use it as a vehicle to create social change."

For each "GIVE" bottle purchased, 10 cents will be donated to a charitable cause, which the customer can choose by color-coded bottle labels: a blue label gives "Life" to impoverished children, a pink label gives "Hope" to breast cancer research and a green label gives "Love" to environmental causes.

Consumers can also visit the company's Web site at www.drinkgive.com to suggest specific charities to support.

The philanthropic organizations to which GIVE donates rotate with time and are usually local, such as the Pittsburgh chapter of United Way. Last year, the company donated a total of around $3,000 to $4,000, though it has not turned a profit to date.

GIVE has traveled a long way from being sold out of the back of Lewis' car. The water, which costs between $1 and $1.39 per bottle, is now sold at a Whole Foods Market in Pittsburgh as well as local coffee shops and stores. It will soon be distributed in various Whole Foods in the mid-Atlantic region.

Lewis said he anticipates GIVE to be a national brand by next year and is working to bring the water to Philadelphia and Penn.

Regarding marketing, Lewis said, "we're keeping it very grassroots" - the company has spent hardly any money on advertising.

The company will also come out with a one-liter bottle for high-end restaurants next month and is planning to launch an energy drink soon, the design of which will be painted by Burton Morris, a well-known pop artist.

Rudolph, one of the other co-founders, said part of Lewis' success was due to Lewis' ability to balance the company with his academics.

"It's one of his main focuses, but he enjoys doing it," Rudolph said.

"We would love to encourage him to incorporate his ideas into class somehow," said Emily Cieri, managing director of the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs.

Integrating business and academics was Lewis' original intention coming into Wharton.

"I do value traditional education," Lewis said, but "it's very fulfilling to see an idea I had become a reality, and that's a lot more than you can learn in a classroom."

Comments (16)

seriously? this kid and his friends are taking a stand and doing something pretty impressive that not only allows them to put their lessons to use, but to give back to society as well. I'm amazed at their initiative and appalled that "Mr. Grammar" read through this entire article and the only thing he picked up on was the grammar mistake. Instead of being condescending, why don't you take from Ben's book and go help the community in which you live? West Philly children could use help with their grammar, I'm sure.

I'm pretty sure the "do good" part of their slogan refers to the act of doing a good deed or helping those in need. Used this way, there is nothing incorrect with the grammar -- it actually makes for a pretty punchy slogan. Great idea and I look forward to drinking Give!

Bottled water is a big part of the massive environmental problem this planet is facing. We are soon going to have to deal with water shortages, and yet the bigget water-related development of the last decade or so has been the production of more and more plastic in which to bottle what is typically tap water. The idea that a bottled water company can be environmentally friendly is absurd.

Today, he runs the company as CEO along with Chief Operating Officer Gary Paparella, a beverage industry expert with 28 years of experience who previously worked at Cadbury Schweppes. When I was 5, I was CEO of my dad's law firm.

[QUOTE id="66c792d4-c244-43e3-8926-f649866ded2a"]Bottled water is a big part of the massive environmental problem this planet is facing. We are soon going to have to deal with water shortages, and yet the bigget water-related development of the last decade or so has been the production of more and more plastic in which to bottle what is typically tap water. The idea that a bottled water company can be environmentally friendly is absurd.[/QUOTE] Clearly, bottled water is not the most environmentally friendly item today. But creating a way for people to give back to charity every time they buy a bottle of water is certainly better than anyone else is doing. Just like he said, leverage the growth of the industry. If I was going to buy a bottle of water (and many of us still do), I'd buy this one over Dasani or Fiji any day. It's a cool looking bottle, too.

I think Ben obviously has good intentions, but he is clearly unaware that the commodification of water is one of the most pressing issues of the day. By making a philanthropy out of bottled water, it encourages people to buy it, further supporting the bottled water industry. Why doesn't Ben sell nalgenes, encourage people to drink tap water, and give the hundreds of dollars they would save to a charity of their choosing?

Bottled water is environmental bullshit and so are the founders of this company, which is basically a rip-off of the bullshit bottled water in Starbucks. A tip: if you see someone (a Wharton student, no less) say "bottled water", "leverage" and "social change" in the same sentence, you're probably listening to a pitch to gain market share by skimming off of social conscientiousness. If they really wanted to change things, they would sell reusable color-coded water bottles and donate a portion of the profits to charity.

[QUOTE id="ad3d2f9e-d520-481c-9123-f95e712f5b27"]I think Ben obviously has good intentions, but he is clearly unaware that the commodification of water is one of the most pressing issues of the day. By making a philanthropy out of bottled water, it encourages people to buy it, further supporting the bottled water industry. Why doesn't Ben sell nalgenes, encourage people to drink tap water, and give the hundreds of dollars they would save to a charity of their choosing?[/QUOTE] In case you haven't been reading the news lately. The polycarbonate bottles that Nalgene uses are tied to a number of diseases, including cancer. Many stores are already pulling these from the shelves. Japan banned their use over 6 years ago (and usually Japanese health trends reach the US at roughly this time frame). Tap water is tainted with a number of heavy metals and chemicals (namely chlorine and fluoride) which tax our immune system and skew the bodies natural pH balance thereby making pure water a necessity. There's no question that all bottled water is not created equal. I advice looking at the source and purification methods used by each company before you decide to purchase. A neutral to slightly alkaline pH of the water is imperative. Despite the environmental impact of bottled water, its important to remember: "Health above ALL else," and water is THE fundamental component of health and nutrition.

[QUOTE id="b386dba1-5d90-48f1-96d0-9497cac87de6"]Ben Lewis and his "partners" need to learn some grammar. No one can do good...they can do WELL. I understand you have to have the alliteration in the "slogan" but please. this is the 21st century...every time I read the "slogan" I can't help but cringe.[/QUOTE] I'm afraid it is you sir who needs to learn grammar and not falsely correct others or inspire others to speak as incorrectly as you think. If you are using "good" as a noun, and not as an adjective, you should say "do good," not "do well." It is the difference between "doing good" and "doing evil," NOT "doing well," and "doing badly." You have been pwned good sir. :)

[QUOTE id="ad3d2f9e-d520-481c-9123-f95e712f5b27"]Tap water is tainted with a number of heavy metals and chemicals (namely chlorine and fluoride) which tax our immune system and skew the bodies natural pH balance thereby making pure water a necessity. [/QUOTE] citation needed

Pura Aqua's comment sounds like it was posted by someone with a clear interest in selling more bottled water. Though I don't know what to make of the link to http://thepuritysource.com/ embedded in their username. Either way, sounds like they aren't worth trusting.

Ben Lewis and his "partners" need to learn some grammar. No one can do good...they can do WELL. I understand you have to have the alliteration in the "slogan" but please. this is the 21st century...every time I read the "slogan" I can't help but cringe.

[QUOTE id="ad3d2f9e-d520-481c-9123-f95e712f5b27"]I think Ben obviously has good intentions, but he is clearly unaware that the commodification of water is one of the most pressing issues of the day. By making a philanthropy out of bottled water, it encourages people to buy it, further supporting the bottled water industry. Why doesn't Ben sell nalgenes, encourage people to drink tap water, and give the hundreds of dollars they would save to a charity of their choosing?[/QUOTE] No need to have a citation, do a pH analysis of your own water. In fact, do a chemical and pH analysis of nearly every municipal source in the US and you will have similar results. Heavy metals and toxins will be amuck and the pH, far from neutral (7.0-7.5). The fluoride that we're told is good for our teeth enters our body and taxes our organs beyond belief (fluoride is ONLY good if used TOPICALLY). Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test is a perfectly safe and effective way to test your water (I am not a spokesman for them). In doing so, you will ascertain the value of quality bottled drinking water. I response to CurlyJoe's comments, yes I do have a compelling interest in selling bottled water because of its necessity for optimal health. Need I remind all of you "health above all else."

Despite all of the environmental issues surrounding this product, I wonder if Ben has considered any mental health organizations when picking his benefactors. No doubt, donating money to non-profits is a good thing, but I am always fascinated by the focus on breast cancer (among others). Not once have I seen someone donate profits to a mental health non-profit such as NAMI. This would make a facinating sociological experiment...probably not what Ben had in mind. ;)

[QUOTE id="115ea98e-ed05-4167-ae29-5ebb00bb0f3a"]"Pura Aqua's" comment sounds like it was posted by someone with a clear interest in selling more bottled water. Though I don't know what to make of the link to http://thepuritysource.com/ embedded in their username. Either way, sounds like they aren't worth trusting.[/QUOTE] fewfwe

Most of customer love .because has hight quality and in lower price.Actually,they're really work for your health.For summer,you can choose one pair of sandals as .You also can choose used the antimicrobial Dry and Cool mesh shoes.Wowen,we have and for your option.for mens just have now.I hope we will bring more in the future.We have one have special design shoes for barefoot,we hope you will love it too.

Comments are closed for this item.