POTATOESWATER
The on-trade represents around
of the bottled water market by value
7%
bottled and personalised on pub premises. They say British tap water is already among the world’s best, so why not improve it, brand it, and sell it? “What better image than water bottles branded with your own venue?” asks Vivreau. The Vivreau process involves mains-fed water-bottling systems, which
offers a saving in terms of environmental impact and carbon footprint. “Our systems link into a pub’s normal water supply before fi ltering,
purifying and chilling of the water takes place,” says Stephen Charles, Vivreau’s managing director. “The water is then dispensed through a tap in the same way you would with beer. The only difference is that you may dispense into branded bottles for service to a customer at table. Your branded bottles simply go in a dishwasher and get used again.” A user of the system is Russell Jeffery of the
Wellington Inn in Driffi eld, Yorkshire. “I used to give diners complimentary jugs of
water throughout dinner as a matter of course. I was intrigued by the idea of profi t potential on this water, but I was concerned about how a change would be received. “I ran my own two-month trial, offering un-
limited mineral water for a one-off charge of £3.00 per table. There was virtually no adverse reaction, and now I generate additional net profi t of between £90-£115 per week.” Do the customers notice? If they do, they
approve, says Eau de Vie, which is part of the Winterhalter organisation. “Customers are generally happy to pay for
fi ltered mains water presented in an upmarket bottle,” argues Jim Jiwany, sales manager, at Classeq Eau de Vie. “They like the idea of drink- ing fi ltered tap water, because it is ecologically sound compared to mineral water, and they also like the taste. “For the pub, there are big savings – if they
“Tap water
has obvious costs, is labour-
intensive, and I
question whether
consumers are happy to pay for filtered
tap water”
were buying in branded bottled water it would cost around 40p to 48p a litre, but fi ltered water from Eau de Vie only costs 5p per litre,” he adds. The equipment rental is from £22 a week. “So the water costs the pub less than bought-in bottled water, which
means it can be sold at a better price to the customer, and is still profi t- able – the Grazing Goat in London sells Eau de Vie water at £2.50 a litre bottle, or 50p a glass. “For the publican, there is another saving on waste. To dispose of bot-
tles costs about £1 a bag in Westminster, with about 36 bottles to a bag. So everyone wins.”
Above: Wenlock Spring bottled water (top); Vivreau Vi Tap (middle left); Eau de Vie fi ltered water tap system (middle right), and Eau de Vie serving bottle (bottom).
44
SIXTH FEBRUARY 2012
pub&bar
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