Marketers keep slicing the pie thinner and thinner. Dave Asprey, the guy behind Fat Water, is going to a different end of the spectrum to add weight, wet and wonder to his new product idea.
Are You Shocked that FATwater is a thing.
Asprey, who is the guy behind Bulletproof Coffee, has created a new drink where a special type of fat is added to purified water. His sugar-free drink offers efficient calorie burning fuel, hydration and-and easier to access energy source. Using MCT or medium-chain triglycerides derived from Coconut oil, he is out to tip the scales in a new direction.
Men’s Journal did some research on the legitimacy of the drink and found that there is only a tiny amount of fat in FATwater – just 2 grams making a 16-ounce bottle only 20 calories. This doesn’t replace nuts, avocado, eggs or other sources of good fat.
From Men’s Journal:
Asprey put fat in a hydrating beverage because he claims these specific MCTs can help the body produce energy more efficiently than it can with sugar. He says Bulletproof XCT Oil, a patented blend of two fatty acids from the heart of the coconut, follows a special metabolic pathway directly to the liver. There, the MCTs are converted into ketone bodies, which provide ready-to-go fuel, instead of being stored as fat. “It takes the body only three steps to converting these MCTs into energy, whereas it takes 26 steps with sugar,” Asprey says. “It’s a strange little trick.”
The publication checked with research at Columbia University’s Obesity Research Center on the claims. Marie-Pierre St-Onge said that MCT’s have a higher thermic effect than other fats and foods. That means it takes more energy to digest them so it can use these fat calories efficiently. Some studies show MCT’s can help with weight loss too.
Again from Men’s Journal:
St-Onge says the energy needed to digest MCTs is essentially burned off — or “wasted” — so it won’t be there in the long run to power you through a workout. “Consuming MCTs now doesn’t mean you’ll have more energy to go on a 10-mile run later,” she says. “But on the other hand, when processing foods with an increased thermic effect, you might feel like you are more alert and have more energy.”
I haven’t tasted FATwater myself, but reports are that it has a pleasant taste and isn’t oily or fatty as the name would imply. The product is sold in bottles at the Bulletproof Coffee café in Santa Monica. It is also available at Erewhon natural grocery stores in LA and Calabasas and in a concentrated form from their website.
Marketers keep looking for ways to segment many markets. Water is a very crowded category, yet here is someone who is trying to differentiate based on what he perceives as an unmet need. Like Vitamin Water or Detox water, this is another attempt at finding an unmet need with a solution.
Using the word FAT with Water is certainly going to gain attention and help him stand out. Whether the drink can gain meaningful distribution is still to be determined. But it just takes a little wind behind the sails of a product, to create a waterfall effect.
What do you think of this idea? I’m thirsty for your input.
Need help finding your next innovation? I can generate a flood of ideas. Call me.
