The Engineer Who Turned Beer into a Water Company

How do you build a business that runs without you?

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Stephen Walker, founder and CEO of Ground 2 Tap, the South African engineering company transforming how homes and industries access clean water.

From brewing beer in his parents’ garage to building one of the country’s most trusted water-engineering brands, Stephen shares how he bootstrapped Ground2Tap from scratch, with no investors, no shortcuts, and a relentless focus on systems, people, and purpose. He opens up about early failures (and leaking pipes), designing his business to scale from day one, and why he believes real success isn’t measured by funding rounds but by freedom, faith, and impact.

This conversation is a blueprint for founders who want to build something that lasts; intentionally, sustainably, and on their own terms.

We dive into:

• How a home-brewing experiment sparked Ground2Tap

• Early failures and the lessons that built resilience

• Designing scalable systems before scaling revenue

• Using AI to personalize sales and build customer trust

• Building a purpose-driven business that blesses others

• Why freedom is worth more than funding

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It’s practical, honest, and proof that purpose-driven engineering can change lives, one drop at a time.