Thomas Arndt set out to create the first low calorie organic kids product. Along the way he teamed with Yves Béhar and his San Francisco-based design firm, fuseproject, to come up with a new product and brand concept. And, voilà, a Y-shaped bottle and Y Water™ was born.

The so-called development drink for elementary school kids is appearing first in the Southern California stores of Whole Foods, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods. By mid-2008, Y Water™ is expected to be in Whole Foods stores throughout the United States.

"Packaging is the hero," says Arndt. "It's doing something that's not expected. There's a difference between beautiful and interesting. And this is unexpected."

The symmetrical multi-directional Y bottle is extrusion blow molded from Eastman's Eastar™ copolyester.

"Thomas came to us to create a new definition and icon for an organic developmental water," says Yves Béhar, founder of San Francisco-based fuseproject. "We came up with the Y bottle as the answer."

The collaboration is the latest design partnership for fuseproject.

"We're building a completely unconventional approach to a beverage company, packaging and communication that's design driven," explains Béhar. "We're using design to create a message that is the core of the brand."

Prior to Y Water™, Arndt was head of marketing for Carpe Diem, a line of wellness beverages. In looking for low calorie organic drinks that might appeal to their two young sons, he and his wife, Stephanie, came up empty. "Obesity is a major problem among kids and we can positively influence them on health issues," he says.

Y Water™ is formulated especially for kids in four flavors – Bone Water, Brain Water, Immune Water and Muscle Water – with all natural and certified organic ingredients. No preservatives, artificial coloring or sweeteners are used.

The product benefits are communicated in a language kids can easily understand. "When you say calcium is good for your bones, that's not really relevant to kids," Arndt says.

So Y Water™ bottle hang tags use cartoon-like drawings, such as a skeleton, and humorous text: "Bone Water … because you don't want your skeleton walking out on you." A drawing of a kid painting spots on his body accompanies the Immune Water text: "…because missing school is only fun if you're not really sick."

Says Béhar: "This is a product that's challenging convention. It's a natural product. It's developmental water, which has never been done before. In a way, everything about this venture is about asking why? And doing things differently."

Not only is the Y-shaped bottle different, it was a challenge to produce.

"On a scale of one-to-10, I'd give it an eight for molding challenges," says Gary Carr, national sales director for Bekum America Corporation, a manufacturer of extrusion blow molding equipment. "This container demands careful attention to wall distribution because of its geometry. We're dealing with some rather extensive blow-up ratios."

Still, Carr had no doubt that the unconventional bottle could be produced. This optimism was based on the success of the 48-ounce bottle Bekum and Eastman teamed to develop for POM Wonderful that has become the benchmark for large, clear handled containers. He's also a big fan of Eastar™ copolyester.

"When done properly – all the conditions being right – the bottle is just a masterpiece," Carr says. "Whether it's the Y Water™ bottle shape or even real benign containers, the clarity, the look, the feel, the gloss – the material brings a different level of quality to an extrusion blow molded container."