Harrogate Water is proud to announce it has been accredited by the worldwide B Corp movement committed to building a more inclusive, greener and sustainable economy.

Becoming certified as a B Corporation goes beyond product or business performance indicators. B Corp measures a company’s entire social and environmental footprint and evaluates how business operations impact on colleagues, community, environment and customers in pursuit of sustainable growth.

B Corp is more than a snapshot of the here and now; qualifying organisations must commit to positive corporate social responsibility impact in the long term, incorporating transparency and accountability into the business from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Every B Corp organisation undergoes a rigorous business impact assessment, which is scored and published online. Worldwide, more than 3,000 companies have become B Corp accredited. This global movement of profit-with-purpose businesses, work for a healthier environment, social responsibility and the creation of high-quality employment. More than two hundred UK businesses have joined B Corp.

Harrogate Water CEO James Cain OBE said:

“We are proud to be the first company in North Yorkshire to have achieved B Corp accreditation and join a growing global family of inspiring businesses committed to effecting positive change.

“Care for the environment and social responsibility are in our DNA. Harrogate’s unique springs were first discovered in 1571 and we are proud to carry the baton for today’s generation, producing and bottling the most natural and healthiest beverage on the shelf.

“We operate from one of the world’s most environmentally efficient bottling plants. Harrogate Water is a global centre of excellence and a showcase for the bottled water industry. Our rapid growth in recent years has been achieved because of and not despite our commitment to sustainability and community involvement.

“With every step we take to improve our business performance, we seek to mitigate or improve our social and environmental footprint.

“B Corp accreditation validates our achievements but, more importantly, demonstrates our commitment and passion to sustainability and community involvement in the longer term. We look forward to more sustainable growth, benefiting all of our stakeholders, as part of the B Corp movement.”

In 2019, James Cain was named Director of the Year for Corporate and Social Responsibility by the Institute of Directors Yorkshire and North East.  In addition, Harrogate Water was awarded the Sustainability Partner of the Year award from UK foodservice giant Brakes.

Harrogate Water is a founder member of the Natural Source Waters Association (previously National Hydration Council) and is the first member of the association to become B Corp accredited. UK B Corp businesses include The Body Shop, Innocent Drinks and The Guardian. For more information about B Corp, visit www.bcorporation.co.uk

The post Harrogate Spring Water Celebrates B Corp Status appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Danone and Harrogate Water today announced that they have entered into a share purchase agreement under which Danone will acquire a majority stake in Harrogate Water.

Harrogate Water is a family-owned business with a unique British heritage and core strengths in foodservice and on-the-go consumption. The current shareholders of Harrogate Water, the Cain family, will remain as minority shareholders and continue to contribute to the growth of the company.

Harrogate Water is the owner of the award-winning, British water brand “Harrogate Spring Water”, one of the UK’s leading bottled water brands, and the charitable brand “Thirsty Planet”.

Harrogate Spring Water is the original British water brand, with a spa history dating back to 1571, and being first bottled in 1740. Today, Harrogate Spring Water is one of Britain’s fastest growing water brands* and leader in the Out of Home category**.

Danone

Danone is one of the world’s leading natural source water companies globally and home to iconic brands, including evian and Volvic. The acquisition will further develop Danone Waters’ position in the UK and support future growth for Harrogate Water’s portfolio.

It will provide new opportunities for both businesses to deliver growth across complementary channels, combining the respective know-how of Harrogate Water in foodservice and Out of Home channels and Danone Water in retail channels with its evian and Volvic brands.

This move also reflects the shared ambition of the two companies to encourage healthier and more sustainable drinking choices. Harrogate Water has a focus on sustainable business practice, including 100% recyclable packaging, bottles made from majority recycled content, both PET (rPET) and glass, as well as an exclusive partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

This will contribute towards accelerating Danone’s initiatives and commitments to bring the health benefits of mineral and spring water to more people, in a way that also helps to protect the planet’s resources, in line with Danone’s ‘One Planet. One Health’ vision, including the waters business’ commitment to be carbon neutral in Europe by 2030 and to be using 100% rPET in Europe by 2025.

James Pearson, Managing Director, Danone Waters UK & Ireland, said:

“I am thrilled to welcome Harrogate Water to the Danone family. This move will expand our offering in the UK and help to meet growing demand in sparkling water and on-the-go consumption.

“Danone’s heritage and strength lies in doing business in a responsible way: one that recognises the importance of sustainable growth alongside a commitment to protect our planet, promote health and value the people within our company and those we partner with.

“We’ve been impressed with Harrogate Water’s commitment to these same values, including a shared ambition to become BCorp certified and to protecting our unique water sources, and we are excited to support the next step of their journey, inspiring more people towards healthier hydration.”

James Cain OBE, Harrogate Water CEO, said:

“We are delighted to have found the right partner to take Harrogate Water forward on its journey, while respecting and celebrating our history and heritage.

“Danone and Harrogate Water have a shared ethos and approach to community and sustainability. As a family-business, we are all about our people; our colleagues, partners and customers. Together with the team at Danone we are confident we will continue this success, with a considered, like-minded approach.

“This is a great investment for the town of Harrogate and the Yorkshire region. We are incredibly proud to become part of the Danone family, and are excited about the benefits this will bring to Harrogate as we continue to produce one of the world’s finest natural source waters from the original British spa town, for everyone to enjoy.”

James Cain will join the management team of Danone Waters UK and continue to lead the Harrogate Water business.

The completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

For further information please contact:

Danone Press Office in the UK: 020 8799 1125
Harrogate Water (Finn Communications): 0113 887 3873

The post Danone to acquire majority stake in Harrogate Water appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Harrogate Spring is the official supplier of bottled water to the 2019 UCI Road World Championships and the Harrogate Spring bottling facility is on the route of the Harrogate Circuit, which will be used for all races over eight days of racing.

Lizzie, who is originally from Otley but now divides her time between Harrogate and Monaco, said: “I am so excited that the UCI Road World Championships are being held in Yorkshire. What a great opportunity to show the world how much we love our cycling and what Yorkshire has to offer.

“It’s great to see the Harrogate Spring design incorporating the iconic UCI rainbow stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green – symbolising the rainbow of continents taking part and the millions of spectators tuning in around the globe.”

Lizzie has risen to become one of the world’s greatest elite cyclists since her potential was discovered by British Cycling when she was still at school in Otley. She has gone on to World and Olympic glory, crowned 2015 UCI Women’s Road World Champion, winning successive UCI Women’s Road Race Cups in 2014 and 2015 and a road silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Her most recent success was winning the UK’s Ovo Energy Women’s Tour, part of the UCI Women’s World Tour, in June this year.

Harrogate is the principal host town for the UCI Road World Championships, providing the finishing line for 11 different races. The multipack provides consumers with the chance to win a VIP trip to watch the event on the finish line, in addition to official merchandise giveaways.

Harrogate Spring Brand Manager Nicky Cain said: “The striking new 12 x 500ml multipack has standout appeal and will be available across retail to celebrate the global event, one of the greatest cycling milestones, watched by 250 million people in 150 countries.”

It will be the first time Great Britain has hosted the Championships since 1982 and cements Yorkshire’s global reputation as a cycling destination.

Races will start from six towns and cities across Yorkshire and race organisers anticipate record-breaking numbers of spectators, with millions of people expected to line the routes from Bradford, Doncaster, Leeds, Northallerton, Richmond and Ripon.

Nicky Cain added: “As well as loving cycling, we’re also passionate about recycling. All Harrogate Water products are 100 per cent recyclable and our PET and glass bottles are made using at least 50 per cent recycled content. We look forward to working with the organisers to make sustainability a core element of this great cycling event.”

The multipack design was created for Harrogate Spring by food brand design specialists CHILLI and incorporates cycling imagery alongside the colours of the famous and distinctive UCI rainbow.

Lizzie Deignan will feature in a series of videos as part of digital and social media marketing campaign. To view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdFR7WvMVkI

To enter the competition https://www.harrogatespring.com/uci/

The post WORLD CHAMPION LIZZIE DEIGNAN UNVEILS LIMITED EDITION HARROGATE SPRING WATER DESIGN AND COMPETITION TO CELEBRATE WORLD CYCLING EVENT IN HARROGATE appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Thirsty Planet, part of Harrogate Water Brands, appointed Thompson Brand Partners of Leeds to revitalise the brand, with a brief to increase sales and charitable contributions by 20 per cent, while ensuring no rise in the cost of production.

The astonishing results for 2017/18 compared to the previous year speak volumes for the importance of investing in effective design to make a real difference.

Sales of Thirsty Planet grew by 38 per cent, compared to market growth of seven per and donations to charity jumped by 64 per cent.

The achievement has been recognised with the presentation of a prestigious Silver Award at the Design Business Association’s annual Design Effective Awards 2019. The awards recognise the compelling influence of design on the success of a business. Crucially, the impact of design is evidence-based, measured and verified.

Thirsty Planet was launched in 2007 and every bottle sold provides a guaranteed donation to independent British charity Pump Aid, which works to achieve lasting positive change in sub-Saharan Africa by working with local communities and improving the quality, availability and use of water and sanitation through innovative and sustainable solutions.

Brand manager Nicky Cain said: “A guaranteed donation with every bottle sold means that shoppers know that they have made a positive contribution and a measurable difference with every purchase. This transparency provides much greater certainty to Pump Aid. It’s the only model which allows the charity to plan a cost-effective delivery programme.

“The previous packaging design depicted an African scene with images of animals and trees. While this was seen as warm and innocent, it was not connecting with the core customer base of 18 to 40- year-olds with a female bias.

“We believed the brand had the potential to bridge the gap if we could make it more contemporary and cooler. We wanted to be relevant without being preachy and we wanted to be seen as more optimistic and grown up.”

Ian Thompson of Thompson Brand Partners explains: “After listening to customers, it was apparent we needed to be clearer about what Thirsty Planet stands for, with clear messaging. We needed to be serious but not earnest; fun but not frivolous. So, we created a friendly, campaigning message board which gives the brand a strong personality and an identity that extends well beyond the packaging.

“We built a new positioning for the brand, with a stronger strapline: ‘The Power of Positive Drinking’. This gives the brand much greater confidence and an attitude it could clearly deliver on with a clear benefit to the consumer. By drinking Thirsty Planet, you are actively demonstrating your commitment to providing vital, safe water sources for people who need it and making positive change through small actions.

“Working within the constraints of the existing label size, we used a hand-painted, illustrative style of typography and iconography, for maximum shelf impact and differentiation. A simple, bold colour palette ensures stand-out, and helps ensure consumers do not see the bottle as being extravagant or wasteful.”

In addition to the main strapline, each bottle informs consumers of the guaranteed donation, the total donated to date, how the money is spent and additionally that Thirsty Planet is zero to landfill and the bottle is totally recyclable.

To date, Thirsty Planet has now raised £2.2 million for Pump Aid. For every £1 donated, 90p is spent by Pump Aid on water delivery in Africa, compared with a UK average for small charities of 60.7p.

The post HOW NEW DESIGN TURBO-CHARGED A CHARITY WATER BRAND appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

The new style borrows from the brand’s artistic roots to create something design-led and avant-garde with abstract bursts of colour.

Brand manager Nicky Cain said: “When contemplating a new design, we could see that the beverage shelves abound with confidence and colour, but mostly from fizzy drinks. Our mission from the outset was to break the mould, to create something visually stunning and innovative, that would provide standout appeal and allow us to mix it up a little.

“The result is both striking and avant-garde. The eye-catching design is both daring and disruptive. It exudes confidence and adds a bit of fun into the mix too, whilst remaining firmly rooted in the history of the brand, which is extremely important to us.

“In collaboration with food brand specialists CHILLI, we have used elements of the Turkish-inspired pattern from Harrogate’s famous Royal Baths, which we use on our labels for Harrogate Spring. The pattern was redrawn, deconstructed and rescaled to create an abstract bolder visual.
“The design is a combination of the old and n

The strong colour scheme uses red and blue layered shapes on the still water packs and green and blue for sparkling.
Andy Heap from CHILLI, based in Leeds, said: “When considering the creation of a new visual identity for the packaging, we wanted a modern aesthetic style that retained a symbolic connection with the brand’s history and authenticity.

“We took our cues from the original Royal Baths pattern used on the bottle label, with the aim of creating something adventurous and forward-thinking, while also reflective of the brand’s illustrious spa story, underling the brand values and attitude of Harrogate Water.”

Harrogate’s first spa was discovered in 1571 and the water was first bottled in 1740, making it the original British bottled water. Harrogate became the first British spa and was celebrated by the Victorians who built the magnificent Royal Baths and Royal Pump Room.

The post DISRUPTIVE AVANT-GARDE DESIGN FOR MULTIPACKS appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

The announcement, in the run up to Royal Ascot, Britain’s most valuable race meeting, extends the successful three-year sponsorship deal signed in 2015.

The sponsorship arrangement will include a Harrogate Water sponsored race as well as branding on site, print advertising in race cards, brochures and the Royal
Ascot Magazine, and joint digital marketing. Still and sparkling Harrogate Water will be available across all bars, restaurants and fine dining sites in PET and glass on all race days, including Royal Ascot.

Harrogate will offer racegoers free bottles of spring water on exit during Royal Ascot and Saturday flat race days, as part of “Pace Yourself”, the racing industry’s drink awareness campaign. Teams of litter pickers will collect any discarded bottles in and around the racecourse.

Harrogate Water and Ascot are also working together on a sustainability project to improve recycling across the site. The project builds on the Incredible Shrinking Bottle ‘Twist it. Cap it. Recycle it.’ campaign launched by Harrogate Water and Keep Britain Tidy. It will include greater staff awareness and improved recycling systems to be rolled out across the estate. All Harrogate Water packaging is 100 per cent recyclable and its PET plastic bottles contain 51 per cent UK post-consumer recycled plastic (rPET), the most of any UK bottled water producer.

Harrogate Water brand manager Nicky Cain said: “The five-year extension speaks volumes about the success of the partnership and the benefits of being associated with one of the world’s finest and most famous social and sporting venues.

“Ascot race days are internationally celebrated events, quintessentially British and synonymous with elegance and style; the sponsorship is a perfect fit for both brands. It reinforces our position as the UK’s number one premium bottled water brand.

“In three years, Harrogate Water has doubled in size and we have seen a phenomenal growth in both home and export markets.”

Juliet Slot, chief commercial officer at Ascot Racecourse, said: “Harrogate Spring Water is a brand with refined heritage and spa origins dating back to 1571, which complements Ascot’s 300-year heritage.”

Harrogate Water also sponsors England and GB Hockey which includes the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup in London in July.

Harrogate water was discovered in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth’s physician and it was first bottled in 1740, making it the original bottled water.

The post HARROGATE WATER SEALS FIVE-YEAR DEAL WITH ASCOT appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Value growth of more than 20 per cent last year, five times the overall category, has seen Harrogate Spring leapfrog soft drinks Lucozade and Oasis.

Sales and marketing director Rob Pickering said: “With a retail value of more than £48 million, we are the leading bottled water brand in food service. On current growth forecasts, we are on course to rise to number six in a list dominated by multi-national giants Coca Cola and Pepsi.”

Food service encompasses places where meals are served outside the home such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and visitor attractions, as well as business canteens and catering operations in hospitals and schools.

Pickering believes effective branding, excellent customer service and strong environmental credentials are behind the food service success, with recent wins in restaurants and hotels where the company’s premium glass offering is also a key facet, playing a significant part. Harrogate is the fastest-growing glass brand.

“We are providing a quality premium brand — the official water of Royal Ascot – with strong consumer appeal and recognition, representing an excellent value proposition,” he said.

“Investment in distinctive and distinguished bottle design has created a style that defines our heritage as the original British bottled water and we have combined this with service levels consistently at 100 per cent to build a trusted and desirable offering.”

He added: “Environmental responsibility is at the heart of business decision making. We have been zero waste to landfill since 2010, we launched a plastic bottle recycling campaign in 2017 through a partnership with Keep Britain Tidy and, from May, our plastic bottles contain over 50 per cent recycled content, alongside the 50 per cent recycled content in glass.”

Harrogate Water is the largest independent family-owned producer of naturally-sourced bottled water in Britain and Harrogate Spring is the number one British premium bottled water brand.

Spring water in Harrogate was discovered in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth’s physician who recommended the water for its medicinal properties. The town became the first British Spa town and attracted wealthy European visitors, including members of the Russian royal family. Harrogate Spring was first bottled in 1740, making it the original bottled water.

The post HARROGATE SPRING NUMBER ONE FOOD SERVICE CHOICE appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

The recycled PET content will match that of its glass bottles, which have been made with 50 per cent recycled glass content since 2010. All materials used by Harrogate Water are 100 per cent recyclable and none of the company’s waste goes to landfill.

The company, Britain’s largest family-owned independent supplier of naturally-sourced bottled water, is a national partner of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and last year they launched a joint recycling campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of recycling plastic bottles.

The Incredible Shrinking Bottle Campaign urges consumers to responsibly dispose of their bottles by twisting and capping, making them easy to carry to a recycling point or take home for kerbside recycling.

Harrogate Water CEO James Cain said: “It is not an inevitability that plastic bottles end up in our rivers and oceans. We all have a responsibility to ensure that we dispose of our packaging properly and recycle our bottles so that they can go on to become another bottle or other useful product, just as we already do with our cans and glass bottles. We shouldn’t think of them as ‘single use’; they can have an infinite number of lives.

We supply a totally natural and healthy product, sourced from within a Special Site of Scientific Interest. Caring for the environment is in our DNA which is why we have partnered with Keep Britain Tidy to encourage recycling. We are proud and delighted to take this next step in support of sustainability and the circular economy.”

He added: “PET plastic used to make water bottles is the most environmentally efficient of all packaging solutions providing it is recycled; it uses less energy in manufacture and produces less Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The introduction of recycled PET (rPET) represents a significant investment for the business and is a major step forward. ”

Harrogate Water operates from a world class environmentally-friendly site, which has become a showcase for the global bottled water industry.

The post HARROGATE WATER ANNOUNCES SWITCH TO RECYCLED PLASTIC appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Harrogate Spring is the official UK water partner for the movie, which is directed by and stars Sir Kenneth Branagh as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who needs all his investigative guile after a passenger is murdered on the legendary Paris to Istanbul locomotive. The cast includes Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michell Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

Nicky Cain of Harrogate Water said: “We are thrilled to be associated with 20th Century Fox in promoting this classic Agatha Christie whodunnit and the all-star cast makes it one of the most eagerly-awaited movies of the year.
“Harrogate has a thrilling history from the days of steam locomotives when visitors flocked to the town by train to take the famous Harrogate waters and our promotion will give lucky winners the opportunity to investigate Harrogate’s rich spa heritage and the home of the original British bottled water.”

Vic Llewellyn, Head of UK Brand Partnerships at 20th Century Fox said: “With their iconic art-deco branding and quintessential British heritage, Harrogate Water perfectly complements Murder on the Orient Express and we are delighted to have them on board as an official partner to celebrate the release.”

The promotion will feature on individual bottles of 500ml still, as well as on multipacks of 12 x 500ml still and 6 x 1l sparkling, with a star prize of a sensational spa break for two in Harrogate. The prize will include a visit to the town’s famous Turkish baths, gourmet dining, £200 spending money and luxury accommodation at Rudding Park Hotel with an ultimate spa experience. Tickets for the movie’s Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall are up for grabs in a separate Harrogate Spring social media promotion.

For the new adaptation, Branagh has gone to mercurial lengths to capture the grandeur and opulence for which the legendary train is famous and much of the filming was captured on the move aboard a fully working locomotive on an actual railway line to give the cast the feeling of travelling on the Orient Express.
Agatha Christie is the world’s best-selling author, with sales counted not in their millions but hundreds of millions, over 2 billion books sold in 45 languages to be a little more precise. Her whodunnit play The Mousetrap is the longest-running West End play in history with 25,000 performances and counting since 1952.

Don’t miss Murder on the Orient Express, in cinemas November 3.

The post HARROGATE WATER IN PROUD PARTNERSHIP WITH 20TH CENTURY FOX TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.

Hockey is one of the world’s most popular team sports, broadcast in 250 countries and has been on a domestic high since Team GB won women’s gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, following bronze at the London Olympics in 2012.

Countries taking part in the 2018 Women’s World Cup, alongside England, represent every continent and include Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, USA and South Africa. Altogether, 16 teams will compete at London’s Lee Valley between July 21 and August 5.

Nicky Cain of Harrogate Water said: “This is an exciting time to be involved with Great Britain and England Hockey and offers enormous opportunities. More than ten million Brits watched Team GB win gold in Rio and the Hockey World Cup will have a global audience of around one billion.

“The great attraction of the sport for us is that hockey appeals to men and women in equal measure, with a family-friendly following and a strong healthy lifestyle bias.

“We share Great Britain and England Hockey’s passion and ambition, not only their determination to excel, but also their desire to inspire and make a difference.”

“It is refreshing to see an elite team sport in which women are leading the way and becoming role models with huge popular support and appreciation for their achievements. We’re proud to be sponsoring the Women’s World Cup and are really looking forward to working with both the women’s and men’s teams and following their fortunes over the next three years.

James Needham of Great Britain and England Hockey said: “It is fantastic to have the support of such an aspirational brand and equally satisfying that Harrogate Water has seen the commercial potential of hockey during this thrilling period of success coupled with growing public awareness of hockey as a participation and spectator sport.”

As well as the Women’s World Cup, the sponsorship agreement gives Harrogate Water access to brand-awareness and profile-raising opportunities in the international and domestic game for both men and women.

Nicky Cain said: “We are particularly thrilled by the opportunity to work with players, including the Olympic stars, in marketing activities, helping to increase visibility of Hockey at all levels from grassroots participation through to celebrating performance on the world stage. Exciting times ahead.”

Harrogate Water has a successful track record of sports sponsorship. The brand is the official water of Royal Ascot and Ascot Racecourse. It was the official water of England Cricket for three years until March and remains the official water of Yorkshire Cricket. It is the official water of British Masters Golf 2017.

Harrogate’s first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 and the water was first bottled in 1740, making Harrogate Spring the original British bottled water.

The post HARROGATE WATER GOES FOR GOLD WITH ENGLAND HOCKEY IN THREE-YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL appeared first on Harrogate Spring Water.