Hydrate

When he lived in West Austin, Chad Sitzmann said he used to stop by his local Whole Foods Market nearly every day to get a healthy smoothie.

After he started Sitzmann Chiropractic Clinic on Williams Drive in 2000, he said there was not a location nearby where he could find healthy snack options. Sitzmann had purchased the water-purification store H2OToGo in 2007 and had expanded the business to sell snow cones. But since he promoted healthy living with his chiropractic business, he said he realized he wanted to offer the same healthy lifestyle with his other store.

“I had that eureka moment. I said, ‘This is what Georgetown needs, this is what I should be doing,’” he said. “I wanted to offer something to Georgetown that it didn’t have.”

Gradually during the next three years, Sitzmann sold all his snow cone supplies and changed the concept of his water business. He began selling health bars and snacks, and over time he incorporated smoothies and juices. The business is now known as Hydrate.

Sitzmann later removed processed sugar from his products. He purchased a new water-filtration system and offers his customers high-quality purified water and high-PH water. Customers can bring in their own bottles as well as purchase bottles of water from 20 ounces to 5 gallons.

Sitzmann said he was also approached by Boar’s Head Deli Products a year ago about offering sandwiches and salads at his shop. Representatives from the company came to Hydrate and created the menu, helped Sitzmann purchase equipment and trained his staff. 

Hydrate offers three types of hot sandwiches and three varieties of ready-to-go orders. Salads are also periodically offered based on demand.

“We want the sandwiches that we’re making to be healthier than the average sandwich,” Sitzmann said. “We really strive to make sure they’re a good, healthy, quality product.”

Hydrate also features rotating flavors of kombucha, or fermented tea that has been sweetened, on tap and in bottles to go. The store also sells shots of wheatgrass and small bottles of juice.

Hydrate sells half-price wheatgrass shots on Wednesdays and has a Healthy Happy Hour Friday from 2-7 p.m. The business also offers a five-day juice plan.

Most of the business’ snacks are made by Austin companies, said Erick Dell’ora, who said he has worked at Hydrate for about a year and a half.

“We try to support local businesses,” he said. 

Some of those brands include Buddha’s Brew, Bearded Brothers and EPIC. Hydrate also uses an organic farmer in Leander who grows wheatgrass and delivers to the business once a week. 

Sitzmann also has a garden in the back of his store where he grows cucumbers, tomatoes and beets for the smoothies and juices. He said he hopes to start growing spinach and kale in the garden and said he plans to grow as much produce as possible next season.

“We want to grow our own as much as we can so we can assure its quality,” he said.