Antipodes Water Company facts for kids
Antipodes Water Company is a New Zealand company that bottles water. Their water comes from an aquifer (a natural underground water source) located 327 meters (about 1,073 feet) below the ground. This special water source is found in the Bay of Plenty, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.
Antipodes water is famous for its high quality, unique bottle, and special brand. You can usually find it in nice places like restaurants, bars, and special food or wine shops in seven different countries. The company is also known for being environmentally friendly. It joined the United Nations Environment Programme's Climate Neutral Network. This made Antipodes the world's first premium bottled water company to be certified as "carbon-neutral." This means they work to balance out the amount of carbon dioxide they release into the air. The company is owned by Simon Woolley, a well-known restaurant owner, and a group of important advertising executives.
Water Quality
Antipodes water is available in two forms: still (flat) and sparkling (bubbly). The water naturally comes to the surface at Whakatane, which is in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand.
Studies by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council show that the water from this underground aquifer is very high quality. It has even been called the deepest and highest quality groundwater in New Zealand. The water is very pure. It contains only 130 milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids and 73 milligrams per liter of silica.
The water spends about 50 years underground. It then comes to the surface under its own natural pressure. Before reaching the surface, it is filtered through a layer of special rock called ignimbrite. Once at the bottling plant, it is micro-filtered again. The water is bottled without adding any chemicals, except for CO2 (carbon dioxide) which is used to make the sparkling water bubbly. The bottling plant follows strict international quality rules, known as ISO 9002 and 22000.
Awards
Antipodes water has won several awards for its quality.
- In 2006, the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting event named Antipodes the best-tasting carbonated (sparkling) bottled water.
- In 2012, at the same awards, Antipodes won a silver medal in the carbonated bottled water category.
The Bottle
The Antipodes bottle looks very different from most other water bottles. It is shorter and has a more rounded, bulb-like shape. Its simple design was inspired by traditional New Zealand bottles used for sherry or beer. The idea was for the bottle to look nice but not stand out too much on a table.
When the company first started, they used German bottles that were made for laboratories. These bottles were expensive. Also, most New Zealand bottling machines could not easily fill them. Now, the bottles are made in New Zealand by a company called O-I glass.
Caring for the Environment
Antipodes Water Company is very committed to protecting the environment. Besides joining the UN’s Climate Neutral Network, they have added many eco-friendly practices to their business. This is especially true for their bottling plant, which was built in 2007.
Here are some ways they help the environment:
- They have created a wetland area and replanted native kahikatea forest around the bottling facility.
- They have cut down their energy use by installing solar panels. These panels heat water for their laboratory and testing areas.
- They reuse wastewater and rinsewater from the bottling process. This water is sent to the wetland.
- The company uses vehicles that save fuel and uses video conferencing to reduce their "carbon footprint." A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases released by an action or organization.
- Their bottles are made from 50 percent recycled glass.
