# 57 - Brian Sanner, National Sales & Project Manager at Starkey Spring Water

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2021-03-25
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/57-brian-sanner-national-sales-and-64b

## Summary

Brian Sanner, National Sales & Project Manager at Starkey Spring Water, explains the company's decision to package its geothermal spring water in glass rather than PET to preserve taste and align with sustainability goals. He discusses the operational challenges of using heavy glass, including the high cost of shipping and the logistical impossibility of implementing a closed-loop reuse program like Loop for a geographically dispersed brand. Sanner emphasizes that consumer education is the primary barrier to sustainable packaging adoption, arguing that without demand for premium, eco-friendly options, companies cannot justify the higher price points required for materials like glass.

## Chapters

- [0:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=10) Introduction: Brian Sanner and Starkey Spring Water
- [3:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=235) Brian Sanner's Background: From Louisiana to Whole Foods and Starkey
- [16:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=967) Packaging Strategy: Why Starkey Chose Glass Over PET
- [22:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=1369) Reuse and Circular Economy: The Logistics of Glass Bottles
- [27:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=1658) Product Differentiation: Alkaline Spring Water vs. Filtered Water
- [32:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-03-25-57-brian-sanner-national-sales-project-manager-at-starkey-spring-water#t=1943) Consumer Education as the Key to Sustainable Packaging

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Starkey Spring Water (company)
- Whole Foods Market (company)
- Allegro Coffee Company (company)
- Loop (other)
- TerraCycle (company)
- Hagen Daz (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature: Brian Bethke of BEAR Maple Farms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-31-founder-feature-brian-bethke-of-bear-maple-farms) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Building the Rails to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles with Manuela Zoninsein, CEO and Founder at Kadeya](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Spindrift: Bill Creelman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-01-13-spindrift-bill-creelman) (How I Built This)
- [Got herbs? Bringing sparking herbal teas to market with Hrbvor's founder, Zahira Marmar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2021-12-07-got-herbs-bringing-sparking-herbal-teas-to-market-with-hrbvors-founder-zahira-ma) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [How I Built Resilience: Kara Goldin of Hint](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-04-01-how-i-built-resilience-kara-goldin-of-hint) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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