The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) visited Hardy Beverages in Memphis on Thursday as part of the department’s month-long tour celebrating National Black Business Month. TNECD plans to visit nine Black-owned businesses across the department’s nine regions. Hardy Beverages, 5815 E. Shelby Drive, was the first stop on the tour in August.
“Our state is defined by the brands that are native to Tennessee, and it is important that we continue to recognize the companies that are pillars across the state,” said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter.
McWhorter said the department has been discussing this tour for some time and hopes to repeat something similar next year. McWhorter said the selection of Hardy Beverages and the eight other companies for the tour is aimed at highlighting companies that are making a significant impact in their respective industries and communities.
“We want this to be an award,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. Young added that the impact Hardy Beverages has had on the local business ecosystem and its growth should be celebrated, especially in a city that has one of the largest black populations in the entire country.
Co-founder Carolyn Chism Hardy founded Hardy Beverages in 2015. The beverage company specializes in hydrogen-infused water that caters to active lifestyles due to its health benefits.
The company launched its first brand, HWTO, in 2022. Adding hydrogen to the water increases antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it comparable to sports and recovery drinks. The namesake brand helps with metabolism, Hardy said. Since launching the HTWO brand, the company has launched three more brands: Nightlyfe, an electrolyte-enriched version of HTWO for recovery; Skhy, a CBD-infused water with a variety of flavors; and Rallie, hydrogen water for pets.
With the launch of the new brand, Hardy Beverages has continued to grow. The company offers its products online and through wholesale, with the East Coast making up the lion’s share of the market compared to the West Coast, Hardy said. The company also expanded its international presence in March, entering the Kuwaiti market, she said.
This is a significant growth spurt for a company that started with hand-packing and filling when it was founded. As the company has grown, it has added a bagging and automated conveyor system using SOMIC’s Packaging Technology System. The introduction of the new system is the result of a partnership with Bernadette Fuller, who works with the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP) at the University of Tennessee.
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Fuller said the company packs about 60 to 80 pallets a day, each with about 120 bottles of product. When the company added the automated system, it also worked with TMEP to purchase a KUKA robot. The robotic arm helps stack pallets and organize Hardy Beverage products for shipping. Fuller said the robot speeds up production by about 10 times and helps eliminate bottlenecks in the packaging line. (Previously, two employees handled organizing the pallets and securing them with forklifts.)
The ecosystem that grew out of the logistics component of the manufacturing facility was a point of pride for Hardy. She acknowledged that the company helps the shipping and manufacturing business with its wholesale operation and that also feeds into the direct sales and retail components of the business. The logistics component of the business stems from the Hardy family’s decades of experience in shipping and manufacturing. Co-founder Marino Hardy worked in the industry at Baskin-Robbins at its Memphis plant (the plant closed in 2022) and Carolyn Hardy previously worked in the packaging industry at the JM Smucker Company in Memphis.
“She had the toppings and I had the ice cream,” Marino joked about how the two learned the industry in separate companies.
The health benefits of the product are an added advantage for Carolyn Hardy. With the number of cases of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes on the rise – especially in poorer areas – it is a source of pride for her and the company to offer a product that alleviates the effects of these diseases.
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Neil Strebig is a journalist at The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected]901-426-0679 or via X:@neilStrebig.
TNECD planned visits during National Black Business Month
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