Free Bird spring water is a brand with Southern attitude!
After more than 25 years in real estate, Buckhead resident Jay Williams was ready to do something different. The Atlanta native, Lovett alum and University of Georgia graduate had built capital funds, led investment groups and worked on marketing for the Atlanta Olympic Games. Then he turned his attention to water.
In 2024, Williams founded Free Bird Southern Spring Water, a still and sparkling brand sourced from the Blue Ridge Mountains and sold in tallboy aluminum cans. The idea is simple: Make water fun. With its “Drink Freely” tagline, Southern humor and American swagger, Free Bird takes a cue from Liquid Death without losing its own drawl. The 12 packs are sold across the Southeast, from Walmart and gas stations to Savi Provisions and City Farmers Market. Sparkling flavors and iced teas may be next. Here, Williams shares more.
What does Free Bird taste like?
It tastes clean, pure and crisp. Drinking cold water out of a can versus a plastic bottle is absolutely night and day. There’s something very flat and stale about purified water out of a plastic bottle. Aluminum bottles have an aftertaste. But aluminum cans, at least ours, have no aftertaste whatsoever. Plus, because we’re not in plastic, we’re doing better for the planet.
Does Free Bird appeal to the sober-curious?
A lot of people don’t drink or are drinking less. When they go out, they feel out of place. The Free Bird cans resemble beer, so it looks like they’re drinking something like everybody else, and they don’t feel out of place.
Why did you choose NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe for a partnership?
When we started looking at where to allocate marketing efforts, our targets were NASCAR, country music and college football. We also have a partnership with Cole Swindell, the country music singer. What we love about NASCAR is the diversity of the audience. You have your longtime, hardcore NASCAR fans, but at the same time, you could be sitting next to a doctor or an engineer who loves cars. The fans are incredibly loyal.
How will you know Free Bird has really made it?
The most surreal moment so far was when I was sitting in the office of the head of beverage for Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, only eight months after starting the company. I had to pinch myself. I love seeing Free Bird in the wild, and the fact that we’ve got a brand people like enough to post pictures of is cool.
We’re already in 2,500 stores, all in the Southeast. I’d be proud to see a map showing us all over the country. Our water is something we take a lot of pride in, and we just hope to continue to build something special.
Where do you like to eat in Atlanta?
You can’t go wrong with a nice lunch at Chick-fil-A. I love Umi for sushi and Chops for steak. Houston’s also comes to mind, and OK Cafe.
What’s always in your fridge at home?
Other than Free Bird? Always iced tea. Leftovers, because my wife is an amazing cook, and she’s Italian, so she makes enough food for 40 people. Definitely ice cream. I have an ice cream problem.
What do you do for fun?
I’m just a regular guy who likes to golf. I love the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Falcons. I enjoy spending time with my wife and sons. We also have three Teddy Roosevelt terriers. They’re all crazy, and for some reason, we have three of them. It’s always a circus at our house.
FREE BIRD
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