The $250,000 grand prize on Bravo’s “Top Chef” is presented by Saratoga Spring Water, but the brand is a winner too, thanks to a recipe for growth from Brittany Lewis Aitken.

Aitken, senior brand manager for Saratoga owner BlueTriton Brands, led the blue-bottled water on a journey resulting in massive gains in sales and volume—all while establishing a distinct and enviable brand positioning. Her strategy embraced the 150-year heritage of Saratoga while reframing where and how it could compete. Her work helped to improve profitability while developing a long-term framework for the brand, which was little known outside its home state of New York when Aitken began her work.

Much of Aitken’s strategy centered on aligning Saratoga with fine dining, working with BlueTriton’s sales and marketing to chart new distribution markets and build brand awareness to drive restaurant trials and retail purchases. She championed the creation of geotargeted foodservice teams, acquiring funding required for new salespeople, and developing training and support materials to help them successfully sell Saratoga in local restaurants.

Two marquee initiatives gained broader recognition—the partnership with “Top Chef” and the creation of the Saratoga Supper Club, a step-by-step guide to elevated dining experiences among friends, including menus and decor. Saratoga’s partners in these efforts include Buddha Lo, the “Top Chef” champion, and Martin Riese, the social media star and water sommelier.

Responsive to consumer input, Aitken moved to introduce a 100% recycled bottle.

The strategy led to extraordinary results. In 2023, the brand achieved 341% dollar sales growth, 291% volume sales growth, a doubling of on-premise locations and a $24 million increase in sales. Those figures are growing still in 2024.

Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why? 

It’s actually a team of entrepreneurs that I admire most—Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg. These two powerhouse women built a media company (theSkimm) from scratch and have been crushing the game for 12 years. Their success has been inspiring because not only have they changed the media landscape, but they have also done so with a corporate structure that puts employee well-being first. Because of this, their team has the space to come up with creative ideas that constantly evolve the company and provide solutions that solve their readers’ needs. I’ve been an active follower of theirs for 10 years now, and I’m always excited and awed to see what they come up with next.

What’s currently on your bedside reading list? 

I recently read The New York Times’ “100 Best Books of the 21st Century” and promptly purchased an unhealthy number of new books. Sitting at the top of the pile is “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout. We’ll see how long it takes to read through all 100.

What is the best career advice you’ve gotten? 

Your voice matters. When you’re speaking to groups or one-on-one, how you present yourself and how you communicate your ideas is essential to not only being heard but being understood. And the best part is that it’s a skill that you can take with you anywhere at any time.

Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire

Omsom. Not only does this brand help less-than-excellent cooks (such as myself), but for such a small operation, they’ve been able to hone in on what makes them unique and that authenticity is so important. It creates so much trust, and it’s just delicious.

What is your secret weapon for business success?  

Attitude. It’s everything. I’ve found that people respond to positivity and kindness, which is not to say that being firm isn’t important, but even tough conversations can be approached with empathy and respect.