Santevia Water Systems focuses on body pH to support immunity
Santevia Water Systems emerged because of its co-founder David Anderson’s diagnosis with chronic acid reflux. Not interested in taking a pill for the rest of his life, he and co-founder Yvonne Anderson looked into the role of the body’s pH in staying healthy. As a result, Santevia is a water filter that also addresses the pH of water. Drug Store News sat down with the director of sales Christina Gohl to learn more about the company.
Drug Store News: Tell us about Santevia.
Christina Gohl: Unhappy with his chronic acid reflux diagnosis, David Anderson and our other co-founder, Yvonne Anderson, began researching blood chemistry and gained an understanding of the role of pH in the body and the need for an acid/alkaline balance solution. David was acidic, and this manifested as acid reflux, so the goal was to get him more alkaline. More than a water filter, Santevia adjusts water’s pH to mildly alkaline by reintroducing minerals that promote energy and immunity, helping the body maintain its active equilibrium. In addition to wellness, giving back is central at Santevia. This is why, from day one, Yvonne and David Anderson established Santevia Gives Back, which supports clean drinking water and children’s education worldwide.
For David, Santevia has made a lasting improvement to his health: After a few months of drinking Santevia alkaline water, David stopped taking his reflux medication and his persistent acid reflux cough hasn’t returned, reinforcing the Santevia mantra that a well-hydrated and pH-
balanced body is crucial to good health.
DSN: How can retailers maximize sales from the category?
CG: Expanding into children’s sets with our Power Pouch Immune Support has been an exciting opportunity for Santevia, driven by consumer demand for natural, safe and affordable products in that category. Major opportunities exist in this aisle for retailers who seek to understand and capitalize on their target audience: millennial moms. Eighty-three percent of babies today are born to a millennial mom. That mom controls 85% of household spending — valued at $2.4 trillion — and product safety, ease of use and wholesome ingredients most strongly motivate her purchases.
Strategies for retail success should include owning the online conversation. These moms do significant online research. Dedicate space on your own website that educates moms on category focuses, while incorporating keywords to drive organic traffic to your site when they Google from your aisle. Retailers should not forget to allow comments from consumers wherever possible. Third-party advice in chat rooms or forums is valuable to this consumer — 48% value other parent recommendations versus only 35% who value expert recommendations.
Another success strategy is knowing that millennial moms want to see their dollars doing good; cost is not the only thing driving their buying decisions. To be successful with this consumer, giving back is key. Stocking brands that communicate their philanthropy on package will help capture those social responsibility dollars.
DSN: Tell us about the role education plays in growing your business.
CG: The biggest struggle and strength at Santevia is education. We are fortunate to have a great product with so many health benefits, but often struggle with how to communicate that in a simple and clear way to the consumer. A strategy that is working for us now is condition-specific packaging. Take our Power Pouch - Immune Support, for example. It filters water and adds electrolytes and antioxidants, while making any water alkaline, all in a natural product safe for kids.
We understood there was no way to communicate all that to a consumer without overwhelming them, so instead we focused on the application — supporting their child’s immune system. In secondary areas on package, we supplemented the immune support callout with extra information that the consumer can easily read if they want to dig deeper into the “how.” Lastly, we used color and imagery to help consumers understand. What resulted is a highly educational box that the average consumer can clearly understand at first glance, making the buying decision as easy as possible.
Drug Store News: Tell us about Santevia.
Christina Gohl: Unhappy with his chronic acid reflux diagnosis, David Anderson and our other co-founder, Yvonne Anderson, began researching blood chemistry and gained an understanding of the role of pH in the body and the need for an acid/alkaline balance solution. David was acidic, and this manifested as acid reflux, so the goal was to get him more alkaline. More than a water filter, Santevia adjusts water’s pH to mildly alkaline by reintroducing minerals that promote energy and immunity, helping the body maintain its active equilibrium. In addition to wellness, giving back is central at Santevia. This is why, from day one, Yvonne and David Anderson established Santevia Gives Back, which supports clean drinking water and children’s education worldwide.
For David, Santevia has made a lasting improvement to his health: After a few months of drinking Santevia alkaline water, David stopped taking his reflux medication and his persistent acid reflux cough hasn’t returned, reinforcing the Santevia mantra that a well-hydrated and pH-
balanced body is crucial to good health.
DSN: How can retailers maximize sales from the category?CG: Expanding into children’s sets with our Power Pouch Immune Support has been an exciting opportunity for Santevia, driven by consumer demand for natural, safe and affordable products in that category. Major opportunities exist in this aisle for retailers who seek to understand and capitalize on their target audience: millennial moms. Eighty-three percent of babies today are born to a millennial mom. That mom controls 85% of household spending — valued at $2.4 trillion — and product safety, ease of use and wholesome ingredients most strongly motivate her purchases.
Strategies for retail success should include owning the online conversation. These moms do significant online research. Dedicate space on your own website that educates moms on category focuses, while incorporating keywords to drive organic traffic to your site when they Google from your aisle. Retailers should not forget to allow comments from consumers wherever possible. Third-party advice in chat rooms or forums is valuable to this consumer — 48% value other parent recommendations versus only 35% who value expert recommendations.
Another success strategy is knowing that millennial moms want to see their dollars doing good; cost is not the only thing driving their buying decisions. To be successful with this consumer, giving back is key. Stocking brands that communicate their philanthropy on package will help capture those social responsibility dollars.
DSN: Tell us about the role education plays in growing your business.
CG: The biggest struggle and strength at Santevia is education. We are fortunate to have a great product with so many health benefits, but often struggle with how to communicate that in a simple and clear way to the consumer. A strategy that is working for us now is condition-specific packaging. Take our Power Pouch - Immune Support, for example. It filters water and adds electrolytes and antioxidants, while making any water alkaline, all in a natural product safe for kids.
We understood there was no way to communicate all that to a consumer without overwhelming them, so instead we focused on the application — supporting their child’s immune system. In secondary areas on package, we supplemented the immune support callout with extra information that the consumer can easily read if they want to dig deeper into the “how.” Lastly, we used color and imagery to help consumers understand. What resulted is a highly educational box that the average consumer can clearly understand at first glance, making the buying decision as easy as possible.