Aspen Resident Holly Thaggard Is Changing the Way We Hydrate
The answer, it turns out, matters more than we realized.
The Problem With Everyday Water Packaging
Most of us grab a water bottle without giving the packaging a second thought. But research is catching up to what we've been putting in our bodies every single day. Plastic bottles can contain around 26 microplastic particles per liter, with roughly 90% being nanoplastics small enough to bypass the body's natural defenses. Glass bottles with metal screw caps? They can carry two to three times more microplastics than plastic, largely from polyester paint on the caps. And 33% of Americans drink plastic-bottled water daily, including approximately 22 million children.
Will Thaggard's interest in all of this actually started with a school assembly on everyday materials exposure. That early curiosity, growing up in a household already focused on prevention and long-term health, became the spark for WaterOuai!. It's a genuinely great origin story, a mom and son deciding that if the problem is real, why not build the solution.
The SUPERCAN™
WaterOuai!'s debut product is the SUPERCAN™, an aluminum can with a next-generation, dry-laminated solid PET film liner applied before the can is even formed. That means full interior coverage, no spray-on chemicals, no BPA, no PFAS, no phthalates, and no solvents. The production process also reduces water use and lowers emissions. And it's infinitely recyclable. WaterOuai! is the first U.S. water brand to launch with this technology, which is exactly the kind of move you'd expect from the woman who mainstreamed daily SPF.
The water itself is pure artesian water from the Edwards Aquifer, a 70-million-year-old limestone formation in the Texas Hill Country, bottled at the source. At $2 a can or $48 for a case of 24, it's an accessible entry point for something that is genuinely first-of-its-kind.
The idea for WaterOuai! began with Will. At a young age, he attended a school assembly on microplastics and everyday materials, which sparked a deeper curiosity about how often these exposures show up in daily life. That awareness led him to question something as routine as drinking water, and ultimately inspired a more thoughtful approach to hydration. What started as a simple question evolved into a broader perspective on everyday habits and the role materials play in them.
“I grew up seeing how education can shift behavior,” says Will Thaggard, co-founder WaterOuai!. “With WaterOuai!, the goal isn’t to make things complicated, it’s to offer an option that feels more intentional and easy to choose. As more people start to think about what they’re exposed to every day, we wanted to create something where the quality of the can matters just as much as the water itself.” Business Wire
Coming to Aspen This Summer
WaterOuai! will be showing up throughout Aspen this summer through a curated series of partnerships, including the Aspen Snowmass Rodeo. You'll also find it at Hotel Jerome, which feels like a fitting home for a brand built around intentional living and thoughtful materials. Holly and Will are excited to introduce the Roaring Fork Valley community to a better way to hydrate, and honestly, we're excited for them.
This is the kind of brand that starts here and changes things everywhere. We've seen it before with Supergoop!, and something tells us we're watching the beginning of that story again.
Find WaterOuai! at waterouai.com, on Amazon, or look for the SUPERCAN™ at select retail and hospitality partners around the valley this summer.
