Today feels like a birthday! For nearly twelve months, we’ve worked behind closed doors, waiting for the moment to unveil our new KOR Vida Hydration Vessel. Today is finally that day. While it seems like yesterday when we made the decision as a team to develop a steel bottle, I’m reminded of the arduous journey one takes when setting off to create something innovative, beautiful, and unexpected. We think we hit the mark, but only you can render the final opinion as the Vida makes its way into the world.

Whatever gave us the crazy idea to stray into the land of steel? Certainly, the world did not need another “eco-canteen“! Steel reusable bottles are now everywhere you look, but almost every one of them looks the same. Our KOR team decided we wouldn’t touch steel unless we had a passionate focus on how to create something truly unique and special. While we’ve always liked steel bottles for their durability, beauty and simplicity, we aren’t big fans of the overall hydration experience.

To begin, we quickly zeroed in on the shortcomings of steel bottles:

1. Design. We couldn’t name a steel bottle where design was a consideration.  (OK, now we’re getting interested.)
2. Ergonomics. Steel inherently doesn’t like to bend, causing every bottle we reviewed to abandon ergonomics. (Woah, this seems like a challenge.)
3. Taste and Smell. We like to taste water, but you can’t help but taste and smell steel when putting your lips to steel. (That’s it, we’re gonna get ‘er done!)

In December of 2009, our team agreed this was a challenge fit for KOR. We immediately went back into the “war room” with strategic partner RKS Design, with whom we had worked closely on the KOR ONE and KOR Delta. KOR didn’t have the luxury of taking 3 years to develop this vessel like we did before launching the ONE. In an increasingly crowded reusable bottle market, time is now of the essence.

Developing a new product for us is much like concocting a recipe. We first had to identify the ingredients of our steel vessel. What elements of form + function would it require? First, we analyzed what we call the “key attractors” of the KOR ONE and KOR Delta which made those vessels so popular. Both featured beautiful aesthetics and great functionality such as our threadless, Perfect Spout. Next, we performed a thorough review of every steel bottle on the market. Why did every bottle look so similar? Why was the spout on almost every bottle 45 millimeters in diameter — a distance so wide, it encased your nose in bottle every time you took a sip? Why was the rim of the spout always exposed to the outside environment, inviting germs and dirt to join your lips in a dance party when you drank?

As we dug into these questions and attempted to bridge the divide between our Vida design spec and the ability to manufacture it, we came upon the brick wall that most face when trying to paint outside the lines. When it comes to steel, almost every factory is tuned to produce bottles a certain way — and for good reason. It’s easy to produce a bottle where the shape is straight up and down; it’s incredibly problematic to develop a tapered shape. It’s much easier in hydroforming to produce a threaded, wide-mouth spout; it’s high treason to expect a threadless spout with a diameter of 34″ millimeters (i.e., the diameter of the KOR ONE spout which ergonomically fits perfectly to your lips). Cost and time began to escalate as we attempted to impose our KOR Vida design on the manufacturing process. However, I think this is what sets KOR apart from most. Either through stupidity or calculated determination, we pushed and pushed to overcome objections and arrive at a design — and a product — that we were proud of.

The KOR Vida ultimately exceeded our expectations. Besides its sleek exterior, the Vida shines with its threadless, Perfect Spout. By producing a threadless spout that could be secured onto the base of the Vida vessel — and allow the exterior cap to thread onto the outside of the spout and completely cover and protect the spout — we were able to deliver the same incredible drinking experience one feels when first drinking from the KOR ONE. Made of BPA-free, recyclable polypropylene, the Vida spout lets you taste the freshness of water without leaving you with a lingering taste of “metal” in your mouth. Further, you don’t smell metal with every sip. And when you finish drinking, the Vida cap acts like an air-lock chamber to completely protect the spout.

At KOR, we acknowledge we tend to overthink things, but we feel strongly that our hydration vessels have to matter. Otherwise, what’s the point?