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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Crack a Warm One – If You Must

Imagine a product with a 50-year shelf life. Purchase it and forget it. In fact, the product will likely outlast the buyer, but that’s sort of the point. The 12-ounce cans of highly purified H20 by Blue Can Water of Sun Valley are supposed to be packed away and forgotten – and only pulled out in the case of an earthquake or other emergency. “With bottled water it’s not the water that expires, it’s the packaging,” said company spokeswoman Danna Gillespie. Blue Can Water was started by Rick Eye, whose Northridge home was damaged by the 1994 earthquake, and partner James Skylar in February 2013. The duo are media shy and declined to be interviewed but the idea behind the startup, Gillespie said, was to create an emergency water supply that is more dependable than products now available. Emergency water is usually sold in plastic drums and tin cans with a shelf life of about five years. Blue Can Water is sold in aluminum cans, and boasts a charcoal filtering process, elimination of all bacteria and hermetic seals. It is processed at the company’s Lankershim Boulevard warehouse using a municipal water source. The water is available for sale at the warehouse, online, at Village Market in North Hollywood and through local delivery. However, all that metal and technology comes at a price. A case of 24 12-ounce cans retails for $29.95 with discounts given for bulk purchases and non-profits. By comparison, military surplus store Recon 1 in Tarzana sells emergency water in 4.2-ounce Mylar pouches that have a five-year shelf life for 50 cents apiece. Blue Can’s cases are cheaper by volume but Recon 1 allows purchases as small as a single pouch. “A lot of people who prepare are on a budget,” said Recon 1 owner Sako Rouchanian, who wasn’t familiar with Blue Can’s product. But what about the million dollar question? How exactly does it taste and would anyone want to drink a can 50 years’ old? Gillespie acknowledged most consumers think it will have a flat flavor but said the opposite is true. The company has distributed samples around Los Angeles and drinkers have commented on it being “clean, crisp and fresh,” she said. – Rosie Downey

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