Last year, the aQuellé bottled water brand proudly celebrated 25 years in the market. To commemorate this achievement, they honoured their commitment to community welfare by reaching out to those in need. In a heartfelt gesture, aQuellé installed 25 water tanks in 25 underserved communities across South Africa, where access to safe drinking water is severely limited. Additionally, the brand received various awards for innovation and excellence, capping off a remarkably successful year.
Each of these donated water tanks has a capacity of 5,000 litres and is equipped with a tap, making it easy for community members to access clean water. Gladson Songelwa from aQuellé emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating, “Safe drinking water is scarce in many South African communities. Constant challenges like droughts and floods have rendered regular water supply systems unreliable. We exist to make a difference in people’s lives, and our mission is reflected in the water tanks we’ve installed across various communities in South Africa.”
Through this initiative, aQuellé continues demonstrating its dedication to improving lives by providing one of life’s essential resources: safe and reliable drinking water. To expand this initiative and benefit more communities in need, aQuellé is working with local municipalities and schools to install additional tanks in areas requiring safe water access.
INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Over the years, the aQuellé brand has received several awards and is widely regarded as the forerunner of excellence and innovation across every category of the packaged water industry. The brand was voted South Africa’s most-loved bottled water brand in May last year. Towards the end of the year, the brand’s ViV Sports and Power Drink range was recognised as one of the BASES Top Breakthrough Innovations for 2024 in South Africa. Nielsen IQ, a global company specialising in market research and consumer intelligence, was awarded this international recognition. Based on sales data, BASES evaluates products across all FMCG categories to select the best-performing new product developments.
However, this was not the first time the aQuellé /ViV brand was awarded for innovation and excellence. In 2021, shortly after it was launched, it received international recognition at a Global Water Drinks Award, being selected as a finalist in 3 categories and winning the Best New Brand category. A few weeks later, it scooped up the Gold at the Institute for Packaging SA (IPSA) Gold Pack Awards in both the Beverages and Best in Plastic categories.
No living thing can function without water. Unfortunately, not all South Africans have access to clean drinking water. Some of the challenges are old infrastructure, poor maintenance, and mismanagement. According to some experts, the country faces significant water scarcity, with demand expected to surpass supply by 2030 by a projected 17% gap.
aQuellé reaches out to communities. The brand regularly donates water and resources to sporting events, provides water and food during disasters, and runs clean-up activities nationwide in collaboration with local authorities and other organisations. Its impact in South Africa is both deep and wide.
aQuellé is a community-based initiative that profoundly impacts the economy and local communities. Since pure spring water was discovered on the farm of the KwaSizabantu Mission in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, and subsequently bottled, it has actively uplifted rural communities through various initiatives, including local feeding schemes for orphaned children and other outreach programs. The company operates three water-bottling plants, with a fourth one in development. This new facility will enable them to continue supporting the livelihoods of thousands of vulnerable community members as they strive to make a positive difference in people's lives.
(Read about the aQuellé clean-ups and other outreaches in the Devoted magazine by following the link: https://www.devotedmag.co.za/)
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