In this episode of Recipe to Revenue, host Leah Messina talks with Nicole Bentler about the complexities of building a sustainable, farm-to-table beverage brand. Nicole explains the health benefits of Poco Maple Water, the immense logistical hurdles of a three-to-six-week harvesting season, and why creating a community-focused agricultural business is the ultimate recipe for long-term success.
Beyond the Plastic Bottle: Why the Best Hydration Comes From Trees
by Sinuate Media | Recipe to Revenue
When Nicole Bentler acquired a 450-acre farm in the Pocono Mountains, she didn’t just want to harvest maple syrup—she wanted to re-educate consumers about hydration. Combining her background in health and wellness with her family’s agricultural roots, Nicole launched Pocono Mountain Farms to bring clean, mineral-rich maple water directly to consumers.
Watch or listen to learn more about:
- Why maple water—the sap tapped directly from the tree before it’s boiled into syrup—is one of the cleanest, most mineral-rich hydration sources on the planet.
- How to navigate the complex logistics of packaging, from rejecting aluminum cans due to metallic taste to choosing Tetra Paks for a reliable direct-to-consumer subscription model.
- The extreme operational challenges of scheduling co-packing runs when your entire harvesting season only lasts three to six weeks.
- The strategic reason Smearcase relies on platforms like Instacart for direct-to-consumer sales instead of navigating expensive frozen shipping.
- Why asking “what’s in your water?” and connecting consumers back to agricultural roots is at the core of Pocono Mountain Farms’ community-driven mission.
Whether you are launching a CPG beverage or looking to build a community-centric agritourism business, Nicole breaks down the exact plays needed to build a purposeful and predictable revenue engine.
