Proud Source Water was founded by CJ Pennington and Ryan Donahue. Having uncovered a passion for sustainability and design in college, CJ started his career as an architect and later became an engineer. He was working in Seattle when Ryan, a family friend, asked if CJ could help design a water bottling facility in his hometown of Mackay, Idaho — known for being a natural alkaline water source thanks to a nearby spring. Ryan wanted to instill hope in his community by establishing a bottling plant, which would create some jobs for the locals. Driven by a desire to make positive change in the world, CJ accepted the project and made the move to Idaho.

Together, CJ and Ryan created Proud Source Water with the vision of establishing a truly sustainable bottled water company. They spent months meeting with local officials to ensure that their project would not disturb the surrounding environment nor the quality of life for the people of Mackay. After much research, they also opted to use aluminum bottles given the infinitely recyclable nature of the material. Fast forward to today, the Proud Source Water team has created dozens of jobs for the local Mackay community and become the second largest employer in the valley. They continue to give back to organizations focused on environmental conservation and strive to be the most transparent bottled water company in the world.