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Organic Water. Really?

8 Replies

Marketers never cease to amaze us. It’s really hard to stand out and invent new foods or beverages. So a lot of creativity falls on the shoulders of young MBA brand managers and entrepreneurs. Many times, the marketing story is simply an innovative spin on existing ingredients, repackaged with a new story.

Take water for example. What can you innovate in selling bottled water to folks?

Turns out that a lot.

Take llanllyr SOURCE

llanllyr SOURCE is one of the world’s premium quality bottled waters. It comes from our sources beneath certified organic fields in west Wales in the UK.

What you need to know:

As pointed out in this brief NPR piece, water cannot be labeled organic, because

H2O means each molecule of water contains two atoms of hydrogen (H) joined to one atom of oxygen (O). In order for something to be organic — as in alive — it needs carbon. So water, by definition is inorganic. read more…

The USDA does not allow organic labeling for water or for salt.

But that didn’t stop this European company, as well as others, from telling tall tales of pristine hydration for the eco-conscious layperson. Although their marketing material does not explicitly say “Organic Water”, consumers are led to think that because the land above the water sources is used organically, the water itself is superior.

While not having chemical runoff in bottled water is a big plus, most water sources are not under a farm in any case. Then again, all bottled water is a waste and tax on earth’s resources. Much better to drink water that has been filtered and purified by your local water works.

It’s called tap water. And we wish someone smart would brand it to make it uber-cool.

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HQP6JSZEQQAQYTRTAXPG3SLOSE Mrs. V

    I’ve been wondering something, you folks sing the praises of tap water all the time, and I completely agree with you. I mean, bottled water is just tap water from some other place on the planet usually, why pay for it twice?
    But, there are some areas where the water is undrinkable. Certain parts of Pennsylvania no longer has access to clean and safe water from their tap because of the hydraulic fracturing going on. My mother can light hers on fire now, it’s disturbing. At any rate, what’s your suggestion for people in that position?

    • Mr. Bill

      I am not sure anyone would argue with people with truly unsafe tap water purchasing bottled water for drinking and cooking. In those cases, one could purchase the larger water cooler style as it is way more cost effective and efficient than little bottles. Another alternative is to install whole house water filter. There are systems that can get ride of most anything in water. As for methane contaminated water, aside from the nontrivial explosion risk, it is safe to drink.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Monica-Warstler/518805946 Monica Warstler

    I can’t wait to see them start selling organic air in a can.

  • http://theorganicgreencownextdoor.blogspot.com Smokeybull

    Personal Definition: Marketing is the exchange of products through the use of “Half-Truths”. And this water bottler proves it!

  • Kundan Sen

    “It’s called tap water. And we wish someone smart would brand it to make it uber-cool”

    Well, they do, and it’s as much of a hype as the “organic water” mentioned here. A number of bottled water companies mention, in small print on the bottle, that their water is sourced from public water supplies from various places.

    They are selling us the same tap water, plus the environmental impact of plastic bottles, and we are buying it all up.

  • BlueGranola.com

    I completely agree. This is one of the most absurd marketing schemes I’ve ever seen. I wrote a post on my eco-blog about organic water, check it out: http://www.BlueGranola.com

  • organicwaterorg

    As the NPR piece and this definition are highly scientific and correct there are clearly exceptions to the water rule. Waters containing fruit, vegetable or plant based juice water,herbs or any other agricultural additive clearly qualify as organic water. According to Soo Kim, representative of the USDA’s National Organic Program this products can be classified organic because “Regardless of whether water is the main or primary ingredient, it’s only the herb that qualifies for organic certification.
    Therefore, the product could properly be labeled ‘organic’ if it met the
    requirements for organic crops and handling/processing.” So, water derived from a vegetable, fruit or even herbs is clearly organic water.

  • http://twitter.com/Eric_Kurbanov Eric

    According to this http://whole-house-reverse-osmosis.com/ website the only way to get organic water is to use some kind of whole filter. It’s ridiculous.