All images courtesy of Third Wave Water.
Ohio-based water mineralization product maker Third Wave Water (TWW) has acquired fellow coffee water specialist Perfect Coffee Water (PCW).
The acquisition includes all of Washington State-based Perfect Coffee Water’s intellectual property, trademarks, inventory, online sales platforms and other assets. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Both companies offer multipacks of powdered solutions that are added to specific volumes of purified water — either for home or commercial applications — to improve flavor and consistency in the cup.
PCW’s sole mineral profile is remaining unchanged through the acquisition. Nick told DCN that PCW’s brand and social media will also remain distinct from TWW.
“We’re trying to accomplish the same goals, but doing it differently,” Nick told DCN. “We didn’t want to acquire anybody that was doing the exact same thing we were doing. We want to keep it, we want to grow it, and the current customers will continue to enjoy the same profile that they’ve loved on that side.”
The acquisition reflects increased awareness among commercial and consumer coffee brewers about the importance of water, which accounts for approximately 98% of a finished filter brew.
In 2024 alone, Daily Coffee News took note of two new commercial systems and two new liquid mineral concentrate systems entering the coffee water market.
“It’s good on all fronts. Having new competitors shows the market is growing, which is always a good thing, and coming up with different methods like [liquid concentrates] is also a good thing,” said Nick. “I think [powders and liquids] are not mutually exclusive, as much as they can benefit each other… It’s been good, continued positive growth, and that’s why we made the purchase of Perfect Coffee Water. The industry is going in the right direction as a whole.”
Nick told DCN that PCW’s flagship mineralization product has a similar profile to TWW’s Classic Light Roast profile, although the PCW product results in a slightly lower TDS, and its mineral compounds are made using chlorides instead of sulfates.
Garrett and Courtland King launched PCW in Kirkland, Washington, in 2018. The brothers grew the company gradually while Garrett King also worked in various roles at Atomo Coffee and Courtland King worked as a cafe and quality control manager for California-based Beacon Coffee Company.
The brand gained extra acclaim in 2023 when Ekameth “Tay” Wipvasutti used PCW en route to winning the World AeroPress Championship in 2023.
“When thinking about the future of Perfect Coffee Water and looking to find somebody who could support our amazing community of coffee brewers, Third Wave Water was the first to come to mind, ” Garrett King said in the announcement.
Taylor Minor and Nick launched TWW in October 2016, then gained a worldwide audience through an appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank” one year later. The brand’s product portfolio has expanded to include numerous formulations based on brewing method and roast level.
Nick said the company plans to continue introducing new products to both the TWW and the PCW brands. Next month TWW will launch in Europe through a distribution partnership with Fitplein, which is also the European representative for Culligan ZeroWater, maker of countertop water purification systems for home use. In the year to come TWW will also reveal the next generation of its Tethys commercial water treatment system.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
