H2OPS Sparkling Hop Water growth playbook

Write the page the founder is best placed to write: what hop water is, how it is brewed with only whole hops and water, why it has zero alcohol, sugar and calories, how it tastes compared with an IPA, how it differs from hop waters with extracts or supplements, and where to buy it. Add an FAQ block with structured data, a photo of the brewing, the 2014 festival story and a "Try the Mixed Pack" button. Retitle it "What is hop water? From the brewer who made the first one" and link it from the homepage "What is Hop Water?" section.

"What is hop water" is the first search a curious beer drinker makes, and AI assistants answer it from pages like this. The original brewer's explanation is the most credible answer available, and today the brand gives that search away to rivals.

1. One-line answer: sparkling water brewed with whole hops, nothing else
2. How it is brewed (no yeast, no grain: why zero alcohol and sugar)
3. What it tastes like next to an IPA
4. Whole hops vs extracts and added supplements
5. The 2014 festival story
6. FAQ: gluten, calories, caffeine, sugar
7. Where to buy: online, subscription, store finder

• Health claims

  Stick to facts on the label: zero alcohol, calories and gluten.

• Naming rivals

  Describe approaches (extracts, supplements), not brands.

• Your websiteThe page "What is H2OPS Water?" (/pages/what-is-h2ops-water) shows only placeholder text: "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit...". It is listed in the store's pages sitemap.Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source
• Your websiteProduct copy: brewed "from the whole hop and nothing but the hop" with organic Citra and Mosaic hops; "You will find no extracts, oils, flavors or questionable supplements (such as ashwagandha) in our products"; "Now competing in the thriving non-alcoholic beer category".Source
• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own sites: HOP WTR sells "Sparkling Hop Water with Nootropics" at $29.99 a 12-pack, with flavours such as Spiced Apple and Pickle Lemonade and a monthly supply subscription; Hoplark sells "Better-For-You Sparkling Teas, Waters & 0.0 Beverages", with 16-ounce six-packs at $23.75 and sampler bundles.See the research Source

Add a "Notify me when it's back" form to both products (Klaviyo has a back-in-stock flow), show the expected restock month, and offer Original with free shipping to anyone who joins the waitlist. On restock, email the list first.

A waitlist turns lost visits into a launch-day audience and shows how much to brew.

• Long restock times

  Be honest about the date.

• Product cataloguePublic product feed (October 20, 2026): Original Hop Water, 12 Pack $39.99 and "23 Pack" $59.99, available; Grapefruit Hop Water, 12 Pack $43.99 and 24 Pack $63.99, sold out in both sizes; Mixed Pack, 12 Pack $39.99 and 24 Pack $59.99, sold out in both sizes. The Grapefruit page calls it "our customer's favorite alternative hop water flavor style".Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source

Delete or hide the leftover app pages, confirm whether the giveaway still runs (update or remove it), and either publish posts on the store blog or remove it from navigation.

A small, clean site makes every real page count and avoids visitors landing on leftovers.

• An app needs its page

  Check apps before deleting.

• SitemapThe pages sitemap lists 19 pages, including six app-generated "avada-sitemap" pages, a "pushdaddy-faq-1" page left by an app, the placeholder "What is H2OPS Water?" page and the Monthly Giveaway page last updated January 2024. The store's own "News" blog has no posts (last updated April 2021); "Founder's Blog" in the menu links to a separate domain, h2opsnews.com.Source
• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source

Correct the pack name, show the per-can price on every size, and highlight the saving on the larger pack and on Subscribe & Save.

Per-can prices make the larger pack the obvious choice and answer the comparison shoppers make.

• Per-can price looks high next to rivals

  Lead with whole-hop brewing and organic hops.

• Product cataloguePublic product feed (October 20, 2026): Original Hop Water, 12 Pack $39.99 and "23 Pack" $59.99, available; Grapefruit Hop Water, 12 Pack $43.99 and 24 Pack $63.99, sold out in both sizes; Mixed Pack, 12 Pack $39.99 and 24 Pack $59.99, sold out in both sizes. The Grapefruit page calls it "our customer's favorite alternative hop water flavor style".Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own sites: HOP WTR sells "Sparkling Hop Water with Nootropics" at $29.99 a 12-pack, with flavours such as Spiced Apple and Pickle Lemonade and a monthly supply subscription; Hoplark sells "Better-For-You Sparkling Teas, Waters & 0.0 Beverages", with 16-ounce six-packs at $23.75 and sampler bundles.See the research Source
• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source

Set up a branded sending domain in Klaviyo with DKIM, confirm Google Workspace DKIM, then move DMARC to quarantine after checking reports.

Better inbox placement lifts every campaign and restock email.

• Breaking mail

  Change one record at a time.

• DNS checkh2ops.com publishes DMARC at policy "none" with SPF "~all", and no DKIM record was found for the common selectors; Klaviyo is verified on the domain.Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source

Turn on Judge.me review requests through Klaviyo 10 days after delivery, with photo reviews rewarded by a discount on the next order, and ask subscribers directly.

More reviews lift conversion for an unfamiliar product category.

• Only happy customers reply

  Reply to every review, good or bad.

• ReviewsJudge.me reviews on the product pages: Original 9 reviews, Grapefruit 7, Mixed Pack 3, 19 in total. Homepage quotes include "far and away the best", "A superb alternative for anyone who loves IPA's, pairs remarkably well with food" and "Tastes like an IPA".Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source

Publish a comparison page and an email: ingredients, brewing method, calories, caffeine and price, with H2OPS as the pure option for beer lovers. Use the line on packaging and ads.

A clear "pure" position wins the shoppers wary of supplements and makes H2OPS the natural pick for IPA drinkers.

• Unfair comparisons

  Quote rivals' own labels.

• Your websiteProduct copy: brewed "from the whole hop and nothing but the hop" with organic Citra and Mosaic hops; "You will find no extracts, oils, flavors or questionable supplements (such as ashwagandha) in our products"; "Now competing in the thriving non-alcoholic beer category".Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own sites: HOP WTR sells "Sparkling Hop Water with Nootropics" at $29.99 a 12-pack, with flavours such as Spiced Apple and Pickle Lemonade and a monthly supply subscription; Hoplark sells "Better-For-You Sparkling Teas, Waters & 0.0 Beverages", with 16-ounce six-packs at $23.75 and sampler bundles.See the research Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source

Pre-select Subscribe & Save on product pages with a clear saving, explain the founder's reason in one line, offer every-4, 6 or 8-week deliveries, and give subscribers first access to restocks and new brews.

Subscriptions smooth demand for a small brewer and raise lifetime value.

• Unwanted subscriptions

  Make one-time purchase one click away.

• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source
• Product cataloguePublic product feed (October 20, 2026): Original Hop Water, 12 Pack $39.99 and "23 Pack" $59.99, available; Grapefruit Hop Water, 12 Pack $43.99 and 24 Pack $63.99, sold out in both sizes; Mixed Pack, 12 Pack $39.99 and 24 Pack $59.99, sold out in both sizes. The Grapefruit page calls it "our customer's favorite alternative hop water flavor style".Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source

Build a wholesale page: case sizes, wholesale prices, minimums, a downloadable sell sheet, shelf photos and a short application. Target craft beer bottle shops and natural grocers in California first.

Each new store sells every week without ad spend and feeds the store locator.

• Small orders

  Set minimums that cover shipping.

• Your website"Become Retailer or Distributor" in the footer links to the general contact page. "Find a Store" uses a store-locator app. The Media page invites questions on "the hop water category, non-alcoholic beverage and consumer trends" and "being a self funded upstart beverage innovator".Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source

Offer local breweries cans (or a co-branded hop water) for their taprooms and festivals, with a table tent: "Driving? Try the original hop water."

Taprooms put H2OPS in front of exactly the beer lovers it is made for, at the moment they choose not to drink.

• Breweries make their own

  Offer co-branding instead of competing.

• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source
• Your websiteProduct copy: brewed "from the whole hop and nothing but the hop" with organic Citra and Mosaic hops; "You will find no extracts, oils, flavors or questionable supplements (such as ashwagandha) in our products"; "Now competing in the thriving non-alcoholic beer category".Source
• ReviewsJudge.me reviews on the product pages: Original 9 reviews, Grapefruit 7, Mixed Pack 3, 19 in total. Homepage quotes include "far and away the best", "A superb alternative for anyone who loves IPA's, pairs remarkably well with food" and "Tastes like an IPA".Source

Build a 31-day Dry January bundle (Mixed Pack plus a guide), a landing page, Klaviyo emails to the club list in late December and ads to beer-interest audiences. Stock up so nothing sells out.

January is the biggest moment of the year for non-alcoholic drinks; a ready offer captures it.

• Stock-outs at peak

  Brew ahead using the waitlist.

• #2 Collect a waitlist for the sold-out Grapefruit and Mixed Pack

• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source
• Product cataloguePublic product feed (October 20, 2026): Original Hop Water, 12 Pack $39.99 and "23 Pack" $59.99, available; Grapefruit Hop Water, 12 Pack $43.99 and 24 Pack $63.99, sold out in both sizes; Mixed Pack, 12 Pack $39.99 and 24 Pack $59.99, sold out in both sizes. The Grapefruit page calls it "our customer's favorite alternative hop water flavor style".Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source

Recruit 20 affiliates with a free case and a commission, give each a code and a short brief on the "just hops and water" story, and track sales.

Affiliates are paid only on sales, which suits a self-funded brand.

• Off-brand claims

  Give clear rules on health wording.

• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source
• Your website"Become Retailer or Distributor" in the footer links to the general contact page. "Find a Store" uses a store-locator app. The Media page invites questions on "the hop water category, non-alcoholic beverage and consumer trends" and "being a self funded upstart beverage innovator".Source
• Your websiteProduct copy: brewed "from the whole hop and nothing but the hop" with organic Citra and Mosaic hops; "You will find no extracts, oils, flavors or questionable supplements (such as ashwagandha) in our products"; "Now competing in the thriving non-alcoholic beer category".Source

Move or republish the founder's posts on h2ops.com/blogs, add a monthly post on hops (Citra, Mosaic, brewing notes), and link each post to the products.

The brewer's voice is the brand's best content, and on the store domain it brings searchers to the shop.

• No time to write

  Record a voice note and have it edited.

• SitemapThe pages sitemap lists 19 pages, including six app-generated "avada-sitemap" pages, a "pushdaddy-faq-1" page left by an app, the placeholder "What is H2OPS Water?" page and the Monthly Giveaway page last updated January 2024. The store's own "News" blog has no posts (last updated April 2021); "Founder's Blog" in the menu links to a separate domain, h2opsnews.com.Source
• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source

Offer a four-can trial (two Original, two Grapefruit when back) at a low price with the shipping included, and credit its cost against a first 12 Pack or subscription.

A cheap first taste removes the main barrier for a new category.

• Loss per trial

  Limit one per household.

• Product cataloguePublic product feed (October 20, 2026): Original Hop Water, 12 Pack $39.99 and "23 Pack" $59.99, available; Grapefruit Hop Water, 12 Pack $43.99 and 24 Pack $63.99, sold out in both sizes; Mixed Pack, 12 Pack $39.99 and 24 Pack $59.99, sold out in both sizes. The Grapefruit page calls it "our customer's favorite alternative hop water flavor style".Source
• Your websiteShipping and returns: flat-rate shipping in the continental US, usually 2-3 days, next-day dispatch for orders by 12 pm PST; flat rate covers the first 48 cans, larger orders are quoted at actual cost plus CRV; no returns, but problems are made right.Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own sites: HOP WTR sells "Sparkling Hop Water with Nootropics" at $29.99 a 12-pack, with flavours such as Spiced Apple and Pickle Lemonade and a monthly supply subscription; Hoplark sells "Better-For-You Sparkling Teas, Waters & 0.0 Beverages", with 16-ounce six-packs at $23.75 and sampler bundles.See the research Source

Offer a monthly case subscription for businesses with a fridge sticker and a free first case, starting in Orange County.

Business accounts reorder steadily and introduce many people to hop water at once.

• Price for businesses

  Offer a case discount.

• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source
• Your websiteShipping and returns: flat-rate shipping in the continental US, usually 2-3 days, next-day dispatch for orders by 12 pm PST; flat rate covers the first 48 cans, larger orders are quoted at actual cost plus CRV; no returns, but problems are made right.Source
• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source

Serve the hero image in a smaller modern format, load other carousel slides later, and remove scripts from apps no longer used.

It keeps slower phones fast as traffic grows from ads.

• Breaking an app

  Test checkout after each removal.

• Google PageSpeedReal visitors (Chrome UX Report) pass Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint 2.0 s at the 75th percentile (43% faster than before), Interaction to Next Paint 108 ms, Cumulative Layout Shift 0.02. The mobile lab test scores 62 with an 8.3 s LCP on the homepage carousel background image; suggestions include reducing unused CSS (58 KB) and JavaScript (189 KB) and better image delivery (258 KB).Source
• SitemapThe pages sitemap lists 19 pages, including six app-generated "avada-sitemap" pages, a "pushdaddy-faq-1" page left by an app, the placeholder "What is H2OPS Water?" page and the Monthly Giveaway page last updated January 2024. The store's own "News" blog has no posts (last updated April 2021); "Founder's Blog" in the menu links to a separate domain, h2opsnews.com.Source

Release a small single-hop batch each season (for example a fresh-hop or a new variety), offer it to subscribers first and let them vote on the next one.

Limited releases give the club a reason to stay and give press and social something new.

• Small runs cost more

  Price limited releases higher.

• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source
• Your websiteProduct copy: brewed "from the whole hop and nothing but the hop" with organic Citra and Mosaic hops; "You will find no extracts, oils, flavors or questionable supplements (such as ashwagandha) in our products"; "Now competing in the thriving non-alcoholic beer category".Source
• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source

Choose one region with strong craft beer and non-alcoholic demand, sign one distributor, agree a launch plan (store list, demos, first orders) and track sell-through before adding more.

A focused launch proves the model with limited cash.

• Slow sell-through

  Support with demos and local ads.

• #9 A real retailer and distributor page instead of the contact form

• Your website"Become Retailer or Distributor" in the footer links to the general contact page. "Find a Store" uses a store-locator app. The Media page invites questions on "the hop water category, non-alcoholic beverage and consumer trends" and "being a self funded upstart beverage innovator".Source
• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source
• Competitor researchRivals' own sites: HOP WTR sells "Sparkling Hop Water with Nootropics" at $29.99 a 12-pack, with flavours such as Spiced Apple and Pickle Lemonade and a monthly supply subscription; Hoplark sells "Better-For-You Sparkling Teas, Waters & 0.0 Beverages", with 16-ounce six-packs at $23.75 and sampler bundles.See the research Source

Write a yearly "state of hop water" note, pitch the founder story to drinks and business press, and offer comment ahead of Dry January and Sober October.

Press coverage builds trust in an unfamiliar category at no ad cost.

• No replies

  Lead with data and a clear story.

• Your website"Become Retailer or Distributor" in the footer links to the general contact page. "Find a Store" uses a store-locator app. The Media page invites questions on "the hop water category, non-alcoholic beverage and consumer trends" and "being a self funded upstart beverage innovator".Source
• Our storyFounder and brewer Paul Tecker started by home brewing a fresh-hopped IPA, experimented for years with hop varieties and launched H2OPS in 2014 "at a California beer festival", where "the lines grew and we quickly ran out"; "This was before Dry January was a thing".Source

Create pairing notes for tacos, burgers and spicy food, work with three local restaurants on a pairing night, and publish the notes on the site.

Food pairing positions H2OPS as a grown-up drink and opens restaurant accounts.

• Low turnout

  Partner with a restaurant with a mailing list.

• ReviewsJudge.me reviews on the product pages: Original 9 reviews, Grapefruit 7, Mixed Pack 3, 19 in total. Homepage quotes include "far and away the best", "A superb alternative for anyone who loves IPA's, pairs remarkably well with food" and "Tastes like an IPA".Source
• Your website"Become Retailer or Distributor" in the footer links to the general contact page. "Find a Store" uses a store-locator app. The Media page invites questions on "the hop water category, non-alcoholic beverage and consumer trends" and "being a self funded upstart beverage innovator".Source

Sponsor finish-line cans at three local runs or group rides, with a QR code to a trial pack, and recruit club leaders as affiliates.

The first sip after exercise is a memorable way to taste it.

• Health claims

  Stay with label facts.

• #14 A low-cost four-can trial for people who have never tasted hop water

• Your websiteHomepage: "H2OPS is the original craft-brewed hop water since 2014", "Zero Alcohol, Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Adaptogen Free, Organic, Caffeine Free"; three products, of which Grapefruit and Mixed Pack show "Sold out"; "Join the club, get exclusive discounts, merch, and more!"; "Carbon Neutral", "$7 flat rate shipping"; based in Anaheim, California.Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source

Offer three- and six-month gift subscriptions with a gift note and a printable card, promoted to the club list before the holidays.

Gifts bring in new drinkers, who often continue paying after the gift ends.

• Recipient does not like it

  Include a flavour choice.

• Your websiteSubscribe page: "Your subscription allows us to better plan our brewing and bottling schedule, to contract with hop farmers and to spend less on advertising"; customers choose "Subscribe & Save" in the cart. The Monthly Giveaway page offers "Win a 12 pack of your choice!" and "New Subscriber? Save $5 on your first order."Source
• Tech stackThe store runs on Shopify with Klaviyo for email, Recharge for subscriptions, UpPromote for affiliates, Judge.me for reviews and Hotjar; Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Venmo at checkout.Source