ORSM '12 New Exhibitors Preview: SimpliPure

SimpliPure

www.simplipure.com / Tareq Risheq, CEO / #PV638 / Aliso Viejo, Calif. / Founded 2009

Tell us about your brands and products?

SimpliPure has two main products: filtered water bottles and our new LifeCan. Our water bottles filter out 99.99 percent of chlorine, lead, pesticides, etc., found in tap water, whereas other companies only filter out some. Our 5-gallon LifeCan filters out all bacteria, viruses and other contaminants at an affordable price. The only other product on the market costs about $200 more. Great for camping and fishing trips, instead of having to bring your own water, the LifeCan will provide endless water right from the lake, river, or stream you are camping by or fishing in! 

What were you, as the founder of the company, doing before this?

As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been part of a variety of different business endeavors. From 1985 to 1990 I ran several branch department stores of The Grand Stores and purchased products from trade shows all over the world. I also consulted for and represented companies such as Emerson, Hughes Networks, Vivitar, Toshiba, LG and others. In 1997 I established a direct sales organization in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and grew it from $0 to $70 million in 10 years. Currently, it’s the largest distributorship of Rainbow cleaning systems in the world. I then co-founded Cellynx, Inc. in 2005 that was funded by Palomar Ventures and is now a publicly traded company CYNX.OB.

Where did your inspiration come from?

Conducting business internationally means you’re exposed to actual living conditions worldwide. Everyone in the world should be able to access safe drinking water and it saddens me that around 1 billion people do not have this ability. Creating an affordable, portable product that helps end water poverty is my inspiration. There is a saying in Egypt when you’re frustrated with someone, “Go drink from the Nile River,” since it is so vile. Now with LifeCan you can drink from the Nile River.

What’s the one best feature of your product?

For the SimpliPure LifeCan a key feature is affordability. Purifying water is expensive and driving costs down, yet still delivering safe drink water, is an ongoing challenge. SimpliPure will continue to introduce affordable, portable water purification products.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Several competitors are all about style, but have little substance. For the SimpliPure Filtered Water Bottle the biggest challenge is the consumer market’s perception of what water bottle filters actually do. The NSF is becoming a gold standard for filters but there are layers of certifications that match how much the filters remove. The leading vendors don’t remove very much from water, just 50 percent of chlorine and sediments. SimpliPure bottles and filters are NSF certified to both Standards 42 and 53 for the reduction of chlorine, lindane (pesticide), atrazine (herbicide), dirt, sediment and odor. Unlike other filters, SimpliPure filters also reduce the harmful effects of lead, mercury and other heavy metals. For about the same price, SimpliPure delivers a much better filtering solution.

Why are you exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer?

We’re here to introduce the SimpliPure brand and most importantly the LifeCan solution. The LifeCan is absolutely wonderful for camping and fishing trips. It also is a serious survivor-oriented product for natural disasters and poverty-stricken regions.

Who do you look up to in the industry?

Camelbak is the company we look up to most. They are a quality company with good, affordable products and a great PR team.

Who do you want to compete against in the industry?

For our water bottles it would be nice to compete with the Britas, Bobbles, and Camelbaks of the world, especially since our solution is more robust. For the LifeCan we just want to get it out there because there is not a competing product at our price point!