The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Swedish water purification company, Bluewater, has announced a merger agreement with US-based FloWater, after investing $15 million in the company back in 2018. The companies claim that the move "will transform the water industry worldwide," helping accelerate innovation and expanding both businesses' footprints into other key markets in the Middle East, China and South Asia. The merger will also enable both corporations to leverage each other's consumer and business water dispensing expertise, research and development, and global commercialisation and supply capabilities. Founded in 2013, Bluewater develops water purification solutions for homes, businesses and public vending. The corporation has sales across the US, Europe, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia and South Africa, and production facilities in Sweden and China. Established the same year, FloWater is a manufacturer of water purifying refill stations for schools, gyms, offices and hotels. FloWater's customers include Red Bull, Apple, Marriott and Google, among others. Bluewater's founder and CEO, Bengt Rittri, said: “This union is a major milestone for Bluewater in our efforts to upscale and strengthen our position in the global household, commercial and public dispensing water industry”. FloWater's founder, Rich Razgaitis, added: “This merger provides us another big step towards ending the business of “big bottled water” by providing superior alternatives to single-use plastic with the world’s best-tasting and trusted water". He continued: "Everyone deserves access to clean, great-tasting drinking water, and the environment deserves to be free of plastic water bottles. Today, this merger brings together two passionate teams committed to making this a reality worldwide.”