Hint, Inc.

Who owns Hint water?

Hint, Inc., a private San Francisco company, owns the Hint brand. Founders Kara and Theo Goldin retain ownership alongside venture investors including Verlinvest. The company is independent and has never been acquired.

Is Hint publicly traded?

No. Hint, Inc. is privately held. It has raised venture funding but has never completed an IPO or sale.

Who founded Hint?

Kara Goldin founded Hint in 2005 with her husband Theo Goldin, inspired by her own switch from Diet Coke to fruit-infused water. The board removed both founders from executive roles in November 2021.

What happened to Kara Goldin at Hint?

Hint's board removed Kara Goldin as CEO and Theo Goldin as COO in November 2021. She has since spoken and written about the ouster while remaining a shareholder, and the company operates under appointed management.

What is Hint's revenue?

Hint does not publish financials. Estimates place annual revenue between 100 and 250 million dollars, below the peak roughly 250 million dollar level of the founder era.

Where is Hint sold?

Hint is sold in more than 30,000 US stores including Costco, Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods, plus direct subscriptions through drinkhint.com.

Kara Goldin started Hint at her San Francisco dining table in 2005. A former AOL executive, she had quit a heavy Diet Coke habit and begun flavoring plain water with fruit slices. When she could not find an unsweetened flavored water on shelves, she and her husband Theo began bottling one themselves, delivering the first cases to Whole Foods while she was pregnant with their fourth child.

The company grew methodically on tight capital. Early distribution ran through natural food stores, and a placement deal with Starbucks put the brand in front of a national audience. Silicon Valley companies stocked Hint in their offices, an organic channel that seeded the brand with tech industry loyalists before it hit mainstream retail.

Hint raised roughly 50 to 60 million dollars across its venture rounds, modest funding compared to beverage peers, including a 25 million dollar Series D in 2020 led by Verlinvest. Revenue estimates put the business at a quarter billion dollars at its peak, with more than 30,000 retail doors and a thriving subscription operation.

The founder era ended abruptly in November 2021 when Hint's board removed Kara Goldin as CEO and Theo Goldin as COO, a governance rupture the founders later described publicly. The company has continued operating under appointed leadership, expanding its lineup with sparkling waters and electrolyte-enhanced variants launched in 2025, though post-founder revenue estimates run below the peak years. As of late 2026, Hint remains private and independent, with no sale or IPO completed.

Hint markets a health-forward product with no sugar, sweeteners, or artificial ingredients, and it has used BPA-free packaging and recyclable bottles across its line. It holds no major independent sustainability certifications such as B Corp status.

The brand's ethical positioning centers on transparency about what is not in the bottle, a contrast to sweetened flavored waters it criticizes for misleading health halos. No environmental violations, labor controversies, or product safety recalls are on record.

Founder ouster: The November 2021 board decision to remove Kara and Theo Goldin from executive roles is the company's defining controversy. Kara Goldin has spoken publicly about the episode, and reporting indicated the founders retained equity but lost operational control. The transition produced no litigation of public record.

Sweetener labeling debates: Hint has faced the flavored water category's periodic scrutiny over how "natural essence" flavors are described, though it has never faced FDA action or a false-advertising judgment.