Cashing in on Water: Small Business Owner Capitalizes on Controversial Commodity

COPPERAS COVE, Texas — As water becomes an increasingly political issue, one man and his family plan to capitalize on its also increasing commercial popularity. Fred Mendez is opening a small store where everything on sale relates to water. He plans to sell it in bottles and gallons, along with purifying and ozone kits, and other water-related paraphenelia.

But Mendez is not carrying any fancy labels. He purifies and oxygenates his own, he says. After years as a delivery man, he has seen the difficulty of selling brandless water; but, Mendez testifies, he believes his product is better.

To states north of Texas in the Great Lakes region — a region currently implementing the Great Lakes Compact — his move might seem controversial to some. Larger companies have the same idea and concerned citizens continue to protest their extraction of the natural resource. In many areas of the country, water is considered a common good — not a commodity up for sale. But Mendez holds that the difference is no rose-colored glass. It is simply better tasting blue.

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Source: Kileen Daily Herald