The following guest post was originally published by CDMN hub Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre and is published here with permission.

Global Hydration was started in 2001 and up until recently was primarily involved with R & D and product development revolving around portable water treatment systems. After years in design, Global Hydration released the patent pending Can Pure™ Water Purification System (WPS) in 2005.

Global Hydration is owned and operated by two brothers,Andrew and Ian Moorey. Andrew is a Deans List graduate of Confederation College’s Entrepreneurship Program and Ian has successfully completed the Jacques Whitford Training Institute (JWTI) Small Drinking Water Systems Course – Federal Version.

Located in Kakabeka Falls, Ontario.Global Hydration quickly grew as it developed the Can Pure™ WPS product line to include multiple models of highly portable water treatment systems for emergency preparedness, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, military applications and remote regions.

The Can Pure™ WPS has been successfully used by the OPP Provincial Emergency Response Team since 2005 and is expected to become standard equipment of CANTF-3 / Toronto HUSAR in late 2007 and CANTF-1 / Vancouver USAR in 2008.

CEO, Andrew Moorey talks about the” 3 key requirements for success…..

  1. Our angel investor/mentor who is also our special representative to military and federal markets. Without his experience and cash we wouldn’t still be here. He believed in our product and pushed us to participate in key trade shows, marketing opportunities, etc. all items that we would have passed on without his support and financing. He pushed us to develop required marketing materials, participate in face to face meeting with leads across the country, helped us complete complicated tenders, develop pricing, and basically just hang in there for the 2-3 years that it takes for a new business to establish itself.
  2. Dedication to the product and to the customer. We have never stopped improving the product. Looking back at the first Can Pure Water Purification System we ever sold, it’s almost embarrassing when compared to our current model. We also supported our first customer as if they were the last customer on earth. As a result, they became a very solid reference which was absolutely instrumental in us obtaining over a half a million dollars in sales from another group of customers who operated in the same circle. It turns out that one of these new customers had been closely watching our relationship with the first customer for over a year as he decided which supplier to go with. After obtaining our second customer, the others quickly followed suit.
  3. We never stopped looking for opportunities and/or product lines beyond our original product and concept. This was critical in creating our current level of diversification which has been very important with regard to cash flow. Interestingly, some of the new opportunities that we seized have become more successful than our original ones. “

Global Hydration has continued to expand, developing a host of supporting water purification accessories such as exclusive portable diesel water pumps, food grade hose packages, portable water bladders and pillow tanks, portable mil-spec shipping and storage cases and more. Eager to respond to customer requests for more solutions when faced with the need for emergency water purification, Global Hydration entered into a strategic alliance with Medentech Ltd. of Ireland to be exclusive, master agent for AQUATABS® Water Purification Tablets in North America. Global Hydration is now proud to carry the full line up of AQUATABS® products as well as a number of innovative AQUATABS® Water Purification kits and systems designed by and exclusive to Global Hydration.

At Global Hydration, customer support always comes first. Global Hydration was one of the few private vendors to be invited to Canada’s largest ever HUSAR exercise between the O.P.P. Provincial Emergency Response Team and Canadian Task Force Team 3. Global Hydration was onsite at the exercise for 3 days, working closely with both teams in order to provide technical support for all water related issues and plumbing as well as to further develop innovative portable water treatment systems for emergency water purification, emergency preparedness and disaster situations.

Global Hydration continues to expand its suite of water purification solutions and is excited about the release of a host of new products in 2008 including a AQUATABS® Water Cooler Cleaning Kit, Food Safe Produce Wash and Sport Bottle Disinfecting Tabs.

The company’s latest exploits include venturing into the under the tap market with Elua to assist home owners kick the bottled water habit.