A Peek Behind the Scenes of BOROUX Operations

BOROUX Legacy & Foundation water filters on a countertop

Why We Named Our Products; Foundation and Legacy

Pulling up to our headquarters, it doesn't look like much from the outside. It's a big beige boxy building. Nondescript and nonchalant from the exterior, like most things, it matters more about what's inside. Once you're keyed in and ascend the stairs, you find yourself in the break room kitchen and lobby, unexpectedly chic compared to what you might anticipate from looking at the outside.

As a small team gathered around the conference table, the discussion of the day was naming our first products. With an overwhelming number of possibilities, we started trying to put some parameters up narrow down our choices. We wanted something that was meaningful to our story, something that was versatile enough to withstand new variables of the same product, (e.g. different sizes, and colors), and something that was cohesive with our brand name, BOROUX.

If that all sounds fluffy, it's because it is. Brass tacks, spreadsheets, and scientific data is typically our mode of operation, but every once in a while, the marketing team gets to stretch their creative muscles. Playing with lofty constructs, high ideals and big dreams, the guard rails were pretty loose. Lists were read off, reasons were debated, and merits were discussed.

Positioning ourselves as a health and wellness brand became a priority. We have always known that water is important to health, however, it wasn't something that we really dove into. Now it is. Connecting the benefits of water quality to health is now a major focus. We committed to being a solution for those seeking to live better lives. We committed to being a key part of wellness journeys.

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, food and water are at the base. In order to really be our best selves, our base needs must be met and at the very minimum nourishment is key. Clean, safe water is foundational to health and ultimately to becoming our higher self. As we churned on that philosophical fact, it came to us: foundation. This filter is at the base of everything. As long as it's strong we'll be able to build upon it.

Foundation means the underlying base or support; a basis (such as a tenet, principle, or axiom) upon which something stands or is supported; a body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid; or the act of founding. These variations of the definition all get at the same sentiment; something strong and necessary for more. In order to achieve greatness, we must have a solid base to being with. In order to achieve optimal wellness, we must start with the most basic needs--water.

We wholeheartedly believe that water is at the core of wellness. Without it, we are nothing. We don't want to settle for just any water though. We're after the best of the best. We're in pursuit of living our greatest lives, so not just any water will do. Water that is guaranteed to be free from contaminants is our standard. When our body isn't fighting constant attack from ingested chemicals, it performs better. That's what we're after.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. We are lucky to have nearly 30 years of water industry experience at our fingertips. Although we've endured strife and stress when we separated from Berkey, we're still grateful for our time as the leading Berkey distributor. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, we came back from a devastating situation and made the best of it.

BOROUX originally started as an accessory, glass drink ware line. Glass water bottles were the perfect compliment to Berkey water filter systems. For several years, BOROUX was on the sideline, under the umbrella of James Enterprise Inc (JEI), we were primarily focused on selling Berkey products.

After a year of tumultuous times, BOROUX became the newest player in the water filter industry in late 2023. Reinvigorated with possibilities and having destiny in our own hands, we pivoted BOROUX from water bottles to water filters. After a successful launch of the Foundation Filters, a few months later we were ready to introduce a complete system.

The next product we named was our 3-gallon system. Legacy was chosen because the shape and function of it is very similar to the product that got us here. It's a nod to the first 25 years of JEI. We also set the goal that we're going to be around for a long time, in some ways, this product name manifests that we're creating a legacy. This name also fit because it leaves room for an expansive future. When we're not sucked into the day-to-day operations and have a little breathing room to dream, we do so grandly. The sketches on the white board and excited chatter are only a glimpse at the wild, audacious, revolutionary, industry-disrupting ideas we have planned. Eventually, the Legacy systems may get retired or become limited editions, to make room for more robust, advanced products.

We're living our mission. It's not just a business for us, we're embodying it as a lifestyle. BOROUX is a health and wellness brand first, and a water filter company second. Water is powerful. Incorporating all the benefits water has to offer is an exciting and invigorating task. We're bound and determined to live life to the the fullest, and to us, that means with the highest quality water.

Water is foundational to health and we hope to leave a legacy of water wellness.