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DIY Hint Water, Plus The Amazing Story Behind The Business

Kelsey Miller
December 11, 2013, 6:00 PM
KaraGoldinPhoto: Courtesy of Rachel Hoffstetter.
Kara Goldin was already an inspiring businesswoman as a vice president at AOL who helped bring the business to its full glory in the mid-'90s when she made a life-changing decision: She gave up soda. Hoping to rid her family of its junk-food habit, Goldin cleaned out the fridge and quit Diet Coke cold turkey. And, it didn't go well. “I found that instead of drinking soda, everybody, including myself, was drinking...nothing.”
Faced with the universal truth that water is bo-ring, she started trying to jazz it up with the most minimal effort. Simply, whatever fruit she had in her house, she'd cut in half and throw it in the pitcher — skin, seeds, and all. A couple of hours later, she'd remove the fruit and have ever-so-slightly flavored water that pleased everyone. No added sweeteners, no flavor substitutions; Goldin didn't need to make her water taste like fruit, because she used actual fruit.
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Seeing the reaction of her family and friends, Goldin took the idea and ran with it. She left her high-profile position at AOL and devoted herself to creating a business around this ridiculously simple concept. And, this passion for a new, healthier lifestyle is how Hint Water was born.

Goldin's full story is chronicled in the newly released
Cooking Up a Business: Food Lovers Who Turned Their Passion into a Career — and How You Can, Too, by Rachel Hofstetter, along with those of other foodie entrepreneurs. And, in celebration of this new book, Hofstetter and Goldin have shared two exciting treats with us. First, we got the simple steps for how to make your own Hint Water at home. But, if you'd prefer to keep it even easier in the kitchen, you can enter to win a year's supply of Hint Water, delivered right to your door. No fruit-straining necessary.

hint-2Photo: Courtesy of Hint Water.
Here's the original "recipe" for making your Hint Water at home. Give it a shot, or just enter to win your own year's supply, below!

1. Pick your flavor — you’ll need about a handful of fruit.
These are Kara’s favorites:
Raspberry (whole)
Strawberry and kiwi (cut kiwis in half, but no need to peel)
Pomegranate (cut in half, no need to peel or seed)
Cucumber (cut in to slices, no need to peel)

2. Place fruit in a pitcher, and cover with water. You don’t need to put a lid on the pitcher.
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3. Chill for a few hours or up to a day in the fridge. Before drinking, scoop out the fruit and discard, or if your pitcher has a strainer, just leave the fruit in.
Enter to win a year's supply of Hint Water, right here:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. THE "HINT WATER SUPPLY FOR A YEAR" SWEEPSTAKES IS OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 48 CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AGE 18 OR OLDER AT THE TIME OF ENTRY. ONE (1) WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN ON 12/23/2013, THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A YEAR'S SUPPLY OF HINT WATER (ARV $288). SWEEPSTAKES BEGINS AT 4PM EST ON 12/9/13 AND ENDS AT 11:59PM EST ON 12/22/13. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. SPONSOR: REFINERY29, INC. 225 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10007.
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