Costco Connection - August 2007

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PHOTOS: FRANCE FREEMAN

Costco and TalkingRain keep your body on the go

Healthy

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BuyingSmart

Consumer reporter
Pat Volchok gives
a behind-the-scenes
look at Costco
products and services.
Send your questions to:
buyingsmart@
costco.com.

WHAT’S BETTER FOR you than high-priced vitamin water filled with artificial flavors, preservatives and sugar? How about the real thing? That’s what Costco’s new Kirkland Signature™ VitaRain by TalkingRain, which arrives in warehouses later this month, is.

Kirkland Signature VitaRain by TalkingRain is a vitamin-enhanced, noncarbonated, artesian water produced by a highly respected veteran beverage manufacturer. No sugar, calories, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives are allowed. And savings are more than 50 percent compared to top-selling national brands.

I’ve been a TalkingRain fan for many years and recently jumped at the chance to visit the TalkingRain plant with Costco buyer Kim Thuringer and assistant buyer Tim Hanken. The facility is located in the verdant foothills of the Cascade mountains near Preston, Washington. As we exit my car, fresh mountain air, riotously chirping birds and a luscious evergreen forest greet my senses.

Top companies, top ingredients

TalkingRain chief executive officer and maniac marathon runner Doug MacLean welcomes us. He’s just as excited about this new co-branding venture as Costco is. “Both of our companies [TalkingRain and Costco] are Northwest innovators who’ve successfully built customer loyalty and products for more

than 20 years,” he says. “And from this we draw an even deeper sense of pride with this partnership.”

This beverage program is all that I hoped for—and more. The water used in the product comes directly from deep, pure artesian wells. It does not see the light of day until it reaches TalkingRain’s certified-organic plant.

“We are located in a drinking-water sweet spot,” notes MacLean. “The geology of this region creates great-tasting water with a nice balance of minerals. Most suppliers are not so lucky.”

Vitamins used in the Kirkland Signature formulations are purchased from some of the leading vitamin manufacturers and are of the highest quality. A quick comparison with other brands shows that Costco uses a wider range and higher percentages of vitamins in this product.

I ask about a worrisome study reporting that some nationally branded vitamin waters contain lower percentages of vitamins than claimed. “We test vitamin efficacy, water purity and many other factors routinely,” responds Kim. “In fact, we require the same rigid testing standards demanded of Kirkland Signature Premium Drinking Water, including high-tech filtration procedures to 99 percent purity.”