Peachy's Pantry: Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water from Iceland Recommended by Whom You Know

The Icelandic Glacial brand is owned and operated by Icelandic Water Holdings ehf. based in Hlidarendi, Ölfus, Iceland. Icelandic Water Holdings controls the sole commercial rights to bottle and sell water from the legendary Ölfus Spring. The capacity of the Spring is recognized as one of the largest in the world. Its daily overflow alone is approximately double the total quantity of bottled water consumed worldwide, delivering a naturally replenishing supply of water to be bottled for discerning consumers to enjoy.  We consider ourselves extremely discerning at Whom You Know and our readers we believe are equally so!  Recently when Peachy Deegan found herself at the New York Culinary experience, she also experienced the outstanding quality of Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water.  After being reviewed by Whom You Know privately after that, we are pleased to recommend it.

Icelandic Glacial Water Holdings was founded in April 2004 and has been exporting Icelandic Glacial water to customers around the world since 2005. In the US, Icelandic Glacial is distributed by Anheuser-Busch, which took a 20 percent ownership stake in the company in July 2007. Since that time, Icelandic Glacial has become one of the fastest growing premium bottled waters in the US and is available at fine retailers nationwide.

Icelandic Glacial is the stylish, award winning natural spring water from majestic Iceland - one of the world’s most pristine ecosystems.  It is bottled at the source from the Ölfus Spring, which was formed over 4,500 years ago and is shielded from pollution by an impenetrable barrier of lava rock. The Spring also has a local government approved 128,000-acre exclusion zone surrounding it. Therefore no farming, animals or buildings are permitted in the surrounding areas, keeping the water free from any contaminants — ensuring its purity. The naturally replenishing Ölfus Spring produces exceptionally pure water boasting a mineral level of just 62 ppm along with a healthy pH of 8.4.

Icelandic Glacial is an environmental pioneer in the industry. As the world’s first certified CarbonNeutral® bottled water for both product and operations, being 100% recyclable, and using 100% natural green energy in the form of geothermal and hydroelectric power to fuel production, Icelandic Glacial possesses unsurpassed environmental credentials.

Thanks to the vast array of environmentally friendly business practices, unique bottle design and incredible purity, Icelandic Glacial has received numerous award wins including the 2008 Superior Taste Award from the International Taste & Quality Institute Sommeliers, the 2007 Global Sustainability Award from Bottled Water World, Best Water of 2007 from BevNET and the Best Overall Concept Award at the 2005 Bottled Water World Design Awards.

For more information on Icelandic Glacial, visit www.icelandicglacial.com.

Company Information

• Icelandic Water Holdings ehf. was founded in April 2004 and is headquartered in Hlidarendi, Ölfus, Iceland.

Chairman & Co-Founder: Jon Olafsson 
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder: Kristjan Olafsson 

• Icelandic Water Holdings controls the sole commercial rights to bottle and sell water from the Ölfus Spring.
• Icelandic Glacial is distributed in the United States by Anheuser-Busch, which took a 20 percent ownership stake in the company in July 2007.

About Iceland

• Iceland is a mid-Atlantic Island, of almost 40,000 sq. miles (similar in size to New York State), but is inhabited by only 300,000 people.  85% of the country is uninhabited.
• Iceland is home to Europe’s largest Glacier, Vatnajökull, and over 10% of the country is covered in glaciers.
• Icelandic men and women have the highest life expectancy in the world.
• Iceland is regarded as one of the world’s most desirable travel destinations.

About the Ölfus Spring

• Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water is bottled at the source from the legendary Ölfus Spring in Iceland. The Spring is a vast underground resource, formed over 4,500 years ago and is shielded from pollution by an impenetrable barrier of lava rock.
• The Ölfus Spring is protected by the Icelandic government; no farming, animals or buildings are permitted in a 128,000 acre exclusion around the Spring.
• The Spring is a vast renewable resource fed from high in the mountains through a gradual filter of rainfall, snow and ice melt.
• The capacity of the Spring is one of the largest in the world. The daily overflow alone is more than double the total quantity of bottled water consumed worldwide.
• The water’s award-winning taste is the result of an exceptional mineral balance that falls right in the “mineral sweetspot” with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of just 62 ppm and classified as sodium-free.
• Unlike other bottled waters, its naturally high alkaline pH of 8.4 helps restore the body’s pH balance to support a long healthy life.
• You can be sure that the first time this water comes into contact with open air is when you break the seal on your bottle...Nothing is ever added or taken away.

Green Credentials

• As the world’s first certified CarbonNeutral® bottled water for product and operations, Icelandic Glacial lets consumers drink responsibly knowing they leave a “net zero” carbon footprint.
• The term “carbon footprint” is a measure of greenhouse gasses left behind from our daily activities either 1) directly through the use of fossil fuels for energy and transportation, or 2) indirectly from the whole lifecycle of the products we use, from their manufacturing to eventual breakdown.  The carbon footprint is measured in units of carbon dioxide CO².
• Because the company only uses geothermal and hydroelectric energy in its manufacturing facility, Icelandic Glacial’s carbon footprint is much lower than bottled water producers in North America, Europe or Japan.
• Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water has the greenest credentials of any bottled water available in the US.
• Green Energy Source – Icelandic Glacial uses natural green energy sources (renewable geothermal and hydroelectric power) for its production and packaging.
• Recyclable Packaging – Icelandic Glacial bottles and packaging are 100% recyclable.
• Efficient Shipping Policy – From its mid-Atlantic location, Icelandic Glacial uses otherwise empty cargo for shipments of product to the US and mainland Europe, rather than scheduling specific vessels for product distribution.
• Source protection – Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water comes from the Ölfus Spring, recognized as one of the largest in the world.  Its daily overflow alone is approximately double the total quantity of bottled water consumed worldwide, and Icelandic  Glacial captures only a fraction of the water from this natural overflow.
• Energy Policy – Icelandic Glacial maintains an ongoing program of measurement & reduction of its remaining carbon emissions, offsetting any environmental impact that contributes to global warming by investing in renewable energy projects around the world. Icelandic Glacial continually monitors its carbon footprint in every area of activity within the company and throughout the supply chain.
• CarbonNeutral® Certification – Icelandic Glacial became the first bottled water in the world to receive this certification in 2007 from the Carbon Neutral Company for both product and operations.  When emissions are reduced to net zero, companies may apply for the CarbonNeutral® brand mark.

Bottling Facility

• The company’s state-of-the-art bottling facility sits at the edge of the Ölfus Spring in Hlidarendi, Iceland.
• The filling room contained within Icelandic Glacial’s state-of-the-art bottling facility is built to class one laboratory standards.
• Icelandic Water Holdings bottling plant and finished products are fully accredited by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and meet or exceed Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) requirements. NSF is recognized as being the world’s leading third party standards certification authority. Icelandic Water Holdings attained 100 percent scores during their 2005 and 2006 NSF audit.
• Both the source and the company’s premises are also regularly inspected by the Icelandic Public Health Authority, which carries out stringent tests to ensure the plant is operating in compliance with World Health Organization standards.
• In addition to governmental requirements, the company carries out extensive daily testing within its own in-house laboratory.

Distribution

• Icelandic Glacial is currently exported to the following destination markets: US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Germany, France, Ireland, and Greece and is available at fine retailers.

Product Portfolio

The product is currently available in four PET bottle sizes of single serve: 330 ml (11.1 fl.oz), 500ml (16.9 fl oz.), 750ml (25.3 fl.oz.) sports cap and 1 Liter (33.8 fl oz) bottles or in multi-packs of varying sizes appropriate to differing market retail outlets. 

Multi-packs are currently available in the following variations:

• 30 x 330ml (11.1 fl.oz.) packs
• 4 X 6 x 500ml (16.9 fl. oz.) packs
• 24 x 500ml (16.9 fl. oz.) packs
• 15 x 750 ml (25.3 fl. oz.) packs - Sportscap
• 12 x 1L (33.8 fl. oz.) packs

Packaging

• Icelandic Glacial bottles are structurally unique with a patented design that provides exceptional on-shelf presence, while its square design stacks efficiently providing opportunity for increased shelf facings.
• Each bottle size comes with 4 different label designs based on profiles of the Vatnajökull glacier.
• Along with 4 different neck profiles the result is 16 unique bottle designs.
• The likelihood of having 6 identical bottles in a row is 1,000,000 to 1.
• The high-quality 100% recyclable PET bottle reinforces the brand’s premium positioning.
  

Award-Winning Water

• Named “Best Water 2007” by BevNet Magazine.

• Received Bottled Water World’s 2007 award for “Best Sustainability Initiative”.

• Renowned European sommeliers, chefs and beverage experts awarded Icelandic Glacial two stars for a ‘Remarkable Product’ at the Superior Taste Awards by The International Taste & Quality Institute in Brussels, Belgium.

Contact Information

Headquarters: Hlidarendi, Ölfus 801 Selfoss Iceland Tel: +354 412 2100 Fax: +354 412 2109

North American Office: 2862 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 USA Tel: 424-201-6800 Fax: 424-201-6810

www.icelandicglacial.com

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