| 79 MANUFACTURING Aquasplash Bottling plant making a big splash Kelly Deeks Aquasplash blows six bottle shapes in 500ml, 1L, and 1.5L 100% recyclable PET. We are very proud to be part of their business and wish them all the best for their future endeavours. PROUD TO SUPPORT AQUASPLASH Putaruru’s Aquasplash is proud to be bottling high quality and sustainable water from the famous Blue Spring, into 100% recyclable PET bottles blown in-house for maximum quality and efficiency. Known to be one of the purest water sources in the world, the Blue Spring is revered for its properties of exceptional clarity and exquisite blue hues. Aquasplash CEO Mark Manson says the colour of the water is due to its high purity. Rainfall from the surrounding bush clad Mamaku ranges moves rapidly through surface sandy soils, before flowing deep into aquifers formed by the ancient eruptions that created Lake Rotorua. “Blue Spring water is enriched by rich, porous rock formations, with the perfect mineral balance,” Mark says. “At Aquasplash, our purpose-built production facility draws water directly from the Blue Spring, with the aim of providing the purest water utilising the latest technology and processes, backed by world-class certifications.” Aquasplash’s recent food safety audit expressed the belief that its operations were amongst the top 5 percent of all water bottling producers in the world. “We are proud of our food safety regime and the ability of our production team. Our customers can completely trust in the safety of our product.” The Aquasplash factory is equipped with the latest European technology which has been carefully engineered and is skillfully operated to ensure quality and optimal outcomes. “Our ability to blow PET bottles on site affords us and our business partners increased control and competitive pricing. Our boxed water shrink wrap machinery enables us to offer other market options to our business partners.” Aquasplash blows six bottle shapes in 500ml, 1L, and 1.5L 100% recyclable PET. “PET has always been 100% recyclable, and it has gone into different products. Now the technology has arrived where PET can be recycled back into PET bottles. It can go around multiple times so it’s very cost-effective.” Mark says all PET collected for recycling in New Zealand is recycled in Australia. The Aquasplash factory was set up with export in mind, with the company exporting 80% of its own bottled water as well as contract blowing and packaging for other business partners. The factory has a capacity in excess of 50 million units per year, and only uses 3% of Aquasplash’s water resource. “With significant volume of pure water at our disposal per year, and the recent acquisition of additional land, we now have plans in place to build a new, modularised, fully automated blowing and bottling plant.” Covid initially devastated Aquasplash’s domestic market, which Mark says went to zero when Covid hit in 2020. “We relied on exports to keep us going, and since then, the domestic market has slowly recovered. “It will be interesting to see whether the new traffic light system will help.” “With significant volume of pure water at our disposal per year, and the recent acquisition of additional land, we now have plans in place to build a new, modularised, fully automated blowing and bottling plant.”
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