Nestlé began its entry into the water business in 1969 with a
30% stake in the owners of the Société Générale des Eaux
Minérales de Vittel. It acquired a controlling interest in SGEMV
in January 1992, and went on in May of the same year to buy out
the entire Perrier Group.
In 1992, Nestlé was the first
company to dare to launch a mineral water, Valvert, in five
different countries at once. Its originality lay in the use of
an all-new plastic, P.E.T. (polyethylene teraphthalate), which
is stronger and more elastic than the PVC used since 1968.
Besides, P.E.T. is recyclable.
By the end of 1997, the Group
was present on every continent, and the purchase of San
Pellegrino gave it the leadership in the Italian market. In
1998, for the first time in its history, Nestlé associated its
name with a bottled water: Nestlé Pure Life.
The brand was
launched in Pakistan and soon appeared in Brazil, followed by
Argentina, Thailand, the Philippines, China, and Mexico in 2000.
In 2001, India, Jordan, and Lebanon followed, and in 2002,
Egypt, Uzbekistan and the United States.
Nestlé Pure Life is
drinking water that has been treated and remineralized using a
standardized industrial process to ensure purity and quality and
is marketed in emerging countries.
A second product with the
Nestlé name was launched in May 2000, this time in six European
countries: Nestlé Aquarel. A natural spring water currently from
nine different springs in France, Germany, Belgium, Hungary,
Italy and Spain, Nestlé Aquarel also uses the multi-source
concept to satisfy new consumer expectations, especially for
water with a low mineral content that the whole family can
drink.
In April 2002, the Group changed its name to Nestlé
Waters, a token of Nestlé's decisive commitment to the bottled
water market, which now represents 9% of its sales. Today,
Nestlé Waters is established in 130 countries and markets about
70 different brands. The Group is able to offer top quality
brands and innovative packaging to meet the individual needs of
the water consumer all over the world, whenever, wherever and
however thanks to the wide variety of its offer in terms of
distribution and product mix.
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