Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Bentler.
Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Pocono Maple Water was born from our family’s maple farm in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We’ve been farming our land for generations, and every spring, when we tap our maple trees, we noticed something incredible: the clear sap coming directly from the trees was naturally delicious, lightly sweet and incredibly refreshing — essentially nature’s original water.
What started as a simple observation on our farm became the idea behind Pocono Maple Water. Our maple sap is naturally filtered through the tree and is about 98% water, with a subtle maple flavor, naturally occurring minerals and only a small amount of natural sugar. There’s nothing added and nothing artificial.
We wanted to bottle and share this unique part of our farm beyond maple syrup season, while creating another way to support our family farm and American agriculture. Today, Pocono Maple Water is our way of bringing a little piece of the Pocono Mountains to people looking for a cleaner, more natural alternative to traditional beverages.
Our goal is bigger than selling water. We want to change the way people think about hydration — starting with one simple question:
What’s in your water?
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Building Pocono Maple Water has meant learning how to take something incredibly unique and rooted in our family farm and turn it into a brand that can compete in a crowded beverage market.
One of our biggest challenges has been educating people about what maple water actually is. Most people have never heard of it, so we’re not just selling a beverage — we’re introducing people to an entirely new category. We’ve had to explain where it comes from, why it’s naturally different and why it’s worth choosing over the many other beverages on the shelf.
As a small family farm, we’ve also had to do a lot with limited resources. We don’t have the marketing budgets or infrastructure of large beverage companies, so we’ve had to be creative, build relationships and grow organically. Every new retail account, wellness partnership and customer matters.
The biggest challenge, though, has also become one of our biggest opportunities: turning a seasonal agricultural product into a year-round brand. Our water comes from a very specific moment in nature — when the maple trees wake up in late winter and early spring. That seasonality is what makes it special, but it also creates unique challenges around production, inventory and planning.
We’ve made mistakes, adjusted, learned and kept moving forward. What keeps us going is knowing that we have something genuinely different: a clean, naturally sourced product that comes directly from our farm and connects people to the land. We’re still building, but we’re excited about where it’s headed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Pocono Maple Water is a naturally sourced hydration brand born on our family’s maple farm in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Every spring, we tap our maple trees and collect the clear sap directly from the trees. What began as a byproduct of our maple syrup operation has become a completely different category of beverage — one that is simple, naturally sourced and deeply connected to the land.
Pocono Maple Water is approximately 98% water, with a subtle maple flavor, naturally occurring minerals and only about 2% natural sugar. There are no artificial flavors, additives or unnecessary ingredients. The water is naturally filtered through the maple tree, which is what makes it so unique.
What sets us apart is that we know exactly where our water comes from — our farm. We’re not creating a beverage in a lab or adding flavors to ordinary water. We’re harvesting something that nature has already created and sharing it with people in a way that fits modern wellness and active lifestyles.
We’re particularly passionate about the intersection of hydration, fitness, wellness and nature. Pocono Maple Water is made for the person who cares about what they put into their body — whether they’re heading to a workout, hiking a mountain, spending a day outside, recovering after a workout or simply looking for a better everyday beverage.
Our brand is also deeply rooted in family farming and American agriculture. We’re proud that Pocono Maple Water allows us to take something that has been part of our family farm for generations and build a modern brand around it. We’re proud to showcase the Pocono Mountains and introduce people to a product that they may have never experienced before.
One of the things we’re most proud of from a brand perspective is that we haven’t had to manufacture the story. The story is the product. It starts with the trees, the land, the water and our family farm.
Our message is simple: What’s in your water?
We want people to start questioning what they’re drinking and looking for products that are simpler, more transparent and closer to nature. Pocono Maple Water is our answer — naturally sourced hydration straight from the trees of the Pocono Mountains.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My biggest advice is to start before you feel ready. You’re never going to have the perfect product, perfect plan, perfect team or perfect amount of money. If you believe in what you’re building, get it out into the world, listen to your customers and keep improving.
I also wish I had understood earlier how important it is to stay true to what makes you different. When you’re building a brand, there can be a lot of pressure to look like what’s already successful. But your biggest advantage is often the thing that nobody else can replicate. For us, that’s our family farm, our maple trees, the Pocono Mountains and the story behind where our water comes from.
I’ve also learned that relationships are everything. Some of the biggest opportunities have come from simply reaching out, showing up, telling our story and being willing to start small. You never know which conversation will turn into a partnership, customer, mentor or door you didn’t know existed.
And finally, be prepared for the road to be messy. Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. There will be setbacks, wrong decisions, slow seasons and moments when you question whether you’re doing the right thing. I’ve learned to treat those moments as part of the process rather than a sign that you should stop.
If you care deeply about what you’re building, keep going, stay curious, surround yourself with good people and don’t lose sight of why you started. The goal isn’t to build something that looks like everyone else’s success. It’s to build something that is authentically yours.
Pricing:
- 39.00 for case of 12
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.poconomaplewater.com/
- Instagram: Pocono Maple Water
- Facebook: Pocono Maple Water
