Newton Friends Create Pricklee Cactus Water As An Alternative To Coconut Water
NEWTON (CBS) - Coconut water has been all the rage for years now among the health-conscious, but five local friends decided they could make something healthier and tastier from a different plant -- the cactus.
It's cactus water from a company called Pricklee, founded by five friends in Newton who were going to pharmacy school together.
"We said guys, let's do this together. We're best friends, we already have such great adventures together, why not this?" Kun Yang, the CEO and co-founder, told WBZ-TV.
The origin story goes like this. They all love the benefits of coconut water, but hate the taste.
"We just thought coconut water quite frankly tasted like water that had already been in someone's mouth. And we're like, 'How come no one has thought of something better?'" co-founder Jaanai Babb told WBZ.
Their friend Mohammed Hassoun did.
"My grandmother used to make a refreshing drink from the prickly pear. I grew up in Lebanon," he said.
That's right, water from a cactus. But Mo's friends were skeptical.
"He drove down to this Star Market right back over here and he bought the first prickly pears that we then juiced in our kitchen and made our first batch of Pricklee and the rest is history," said Kun.
"He made us eat our words," Jaanai said.
And with their pharmacy educations, they say they discovered it has more antioxidants than coconut water.
And Pricklee was born.
Now they're in the process of convincing the public to get stuck on it too with a guerilla marketing campaign that has them dressing up as cacti and giving taste tests on the streets of Boston and Newton.
Their videos have gone viral and the company has quickly expanded. Pricklee will be available in 7-Eleven stores by mid-August and the friends have just opened an office in New York City as well.
If you'd like to learn more about Pricklee or buy some, visit their website.