Indigenous-owned Troubled Water drink brand launches across Sea to Sky and beyond
Erin Rautenstrauch and Kear Porttris launched their collagen and caffeine drink in Squamish six weeks ago.
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Troubled Water is now on shelves in Squamish, at Stong's, Valleycliffe General Store, Sakura Mart and Cleveland Meats.
The drink is stocked in 10 stores across southwestern B.C., including Pemberton, Vancouver and Victoria. Erin Rautenstrauch of the Syilx Nation and Kear Porttris, who is of mixed Métis and Chinese descent, launched the brand six weeks ago after about a year of development, working from their homes in Squamish and Victoria.
Rautenstrauch describes it as a "functional beverage" that blends a small amount of caffeine with collagen and B-complex vitamins. The aim, she said, was something healthy that still gives you a bit of an afternoon pick-me-up. She said that healthy angle sets it apart from the energy drink category. "More of like the business person sort of energy drink," she said. "You don't have to hide it."
The name comes from the Simon & Garfunkel song "Bridge Over Troubled Water," a favourite of Rautenstrauch's. Naming it was one of the harder parts of the process, she said.
Rautenstrauch is a 13-year Canadian Forces veteran. Porttris has a background in entrepreneurship, having co-founded Indigenous Roots Coffee. Rautenstrauch said the grocery business has been new territory, and the competitiveness of the industry is something they were warned about but are only now experiencing.
