Mark Smith is from Aquadeli, Naomi Del Toro is from Fine H20 Boutique, and Peter & Suzy De Vos are from Waterwinkel.
How does your story start?
Mark Smith: In 1995, our company introduced Kingfisher Indian beer to New Zealand. At the time, the choice of beers in Indian restaurants was effectively limited to those from the two main breweries. Over the following decade, we extended the range to include beers from China, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
We sold the business in 2005. Almost immediately, we began receiving phone calls from restaurant customers wanting to know where they could buy Kingfisher.
We had approached off-trade liquor outlets to sell Kingfisher, but at the time the major liquor chains were effectively controlled by the breweries and had no interest. We therefore set up a mail order division, and later an online store – New Zealand’s first online beer store.
So, how does this relate to water? Well, by 2005, the range of waters available from restaurants was less than the range of beers available in 1995, or even 1985. Italian restaurants were serving waters such as Ferrarelle or Surgiva, and French restaurants, Puits Saint Georges or Evian. But supermarkets only sold S.Pellegrino or local waters in PET, and there was nowhere to buy the waters we were enjoying in restaurants.
And so, with a number of brands in existence, but not available, the idea of a water shop was born.
Naomi Del Toro: Our company started four years ago in Los Angeles, with one brand of water from New Zealand. The following year, we expanded to New York City, Philadelphia and several cities in Canada. We sold exclusively to distributors and they sold to restaurants, hotels and cafes. We saw a store as a great way of promoting and educating Americans about the wonderful world of unique waters from around the globe, which should be appreciated just like fine wines.
Peter & Suzy De Vos: A free unit popped up next to our warehouse. It was an opportunity we couldn’t resist as it’s logistically very convenient and practical, with good parking spaces just in front of the shop and easy access. The previous shop was located in the centre of Antwerp, so it was difficult to park, which is vital for any shop. After a lot of bureaucracy, we opened on 9 December last year.
Talk us through your range.
*MS*: We offer about 40 waters, but can source any water available on the local market and import a number directly.
NDT: We currently offer 15 different waters from Europe, New Zealand and the US. Within the next three months, we plan to double this amount and by the summer we intend to have 50.
*DV*: We have about 50 different waters in the shop, from Scandinavia and Iceland in the ‘north’ and the UK, down to Spain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New Patagonia, the US and Canada. If we don’t have a water from a certain country, we can find it and order it in.
What are your bestselling waters?
*MS*: They tend to be glass, and brands not readily available from mainstream outlets.
NDT: Brands like 420, which have unique bottle shapes, have proven to be the most popular. Also the Philippe Starck designed bottle for St Georges water has proved a hit with the hip club crowd.
*DV*: Our water Nine Degrees (9°) is a superior water with the best combination of PH value, bottling temperature and TDS. It’s also a very attractive bottle in nine different colours, so is ideal for everyone’s homes and decor.
Can you describe your typical customer?
*MS*: No. They’re all very different and not at all what you might expect. Reasons for purchasing also vary. We’re seeing more customers who would never have considered buying water when we opened over three years ago.
NDT: Our intent is to appeal to everyone, which is why we must educate customers about the benefits of water and help create appreciation for our unique waters.
*DV*: Our clients vary – some visit every week for their ‘everyday’ waters, while some come in to purchase designer bottles because they’re hosting a dinner for friends. The attractive bottles always provide a conversation piece at the dinner table and, from experience, we know that more water will be consumed if it’s presented well.
Some customers take water as a gift instead of giving a bottle of wine or Champagne. A beautifully packaged bottle of water is very much appreciated. As a water sommelier, Peter can also work with restaurant chefs to create a water menu for a special meal, with different water suggestions to accompany different dishes.
Is the decor important to the overall shopping experience?
NDT: Yes, we want the consumer to appreciate how beautiful these bottles are and how great they’ll look in their home.
*DV*: We have gone to a great deal of effort to fit the shop’s interior, so the decor is extremely important to us. For example, we’ve made a lamp from empty Voss bottles, with dimensions of 4x 1.5 metres and a weight of 400kg. Likewise, the walls feature decorative art and paintings. The water we sell is packaged in attractive bottles, so they have to be presented in an attractive shop.
What’s the best thing about running an aqua store?
*MS*: It’s a hard one to answer. We’re unique, unlike liquor stores. All of our customers have a genuine interest in what we’re doing. In this sense, our suppliers are also unique. We attract a lot of interest from the trade and media, locally and internationally. It’s also nice to be invited to a function or dinner and hear people talking about ‘the water shop’.
The market is changing very quickly and we feel after three years in water (and many more in beverages), we’re becoming better established and have a solid base to build on.
What advice would you give to someone looking to open an aqua shop?
*MS*: A water store, or any other business built around water (bottling, distribution etc), is still a business. There’s no get-rich-quick fix. It’s hard work, and you shouldn’t expect a payback for some years, but if you stick at it for long enough, it can be rewarding.
I think there’s a misnomer that because water is ‘free’, anyone in the water business has a licence to print money. I can tell you that those in the business definitely know better!
NDT: Check with us in a year’s time! We’ve opened the first water boutique in the US and are learning ourselves.
*DV*: You have to be prepared to provide information about all of the different waters and know exact details, such as how many different minerals they contain, if they have a saltiness or sweetness, and the different grades of sparkling and still waters. Never say ‘it’s only water’ about water!
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