With our series At the Market, we’ll highlight some of our favorite farmers market vendors from the Nashville area.
It was only a matter of time before I would write about Maypop Sparkling Water. (Not to be confused with previous At the Market subject Maypop Farmstead.) Though the company has been around for only a few years, it’s hard to miss. If you haven’t seen Maypop’s cans at farmers markets, maybe you’ve seen them for sale at dozens of restaurants and local grocery stores around town. Co-owners and longtime friends Matt Herrick and Keaton Presti-Stringfellow run the show, from production to distribution.
Herrick, who used to work in craft beer distribution, started the company after noticing there weren’t many locally made nonalcoholic drink options. Creating Maypop was his answer to that, and the brand features an intentionally curated lineup of flavors including grapefruit-orange, lemon, lime, tangerine and a new hop water (which currently has limited availability). Aside from the hop water, each is made with fresh juice that is never frozen or made from concentrate. It’s all made shelf-stable through a pasteurization process that happens at Jackalope Brewing Company. The hop water, which is made at Barrique Brewing and Blending, relies on Citra hops from the Yakima Valley in Washington. While it does have an essence reminiscent of beer, it isn’t beer and isn’t trying to be. Presti-Stringfellow describes it as “more like a tea — it’s citrusy and floral.”
“A lot of people obviously have not had the opportunity to see a true, pure, transparent expression of what hops are, as a flavor profile, existing nakedly in a product,” says Presti-Stringfellow. “It’s just a sort of full display of the beauty of what the flavor profile of this flower is.”
Maypop’s owners are focused on what they call “conscious carbonation,” which encompasses a range of values and practices that are rooted in sustainability. The term describes how they source ingredients, the vessels they use, how they manage waste and their regular donations to local nonprofits.
“We are consciously concerned about our footprint on this planet and where our waste goes,” says Herrick. “When you buy a Maypop, you’re supporting that initiative.”
Folks can find where Maypop products are sold on the company’s website, where those who live in Williamson and Davidson counties can even order products for home delivery. Catch Herrick and Presti-Stringfellow slinging sparkling waters on Tuesdays at the 12South and East Nashville farmers markets, and on Saturdays at the Richland Park and Franklin farmers markets.
