Ingredient Focus: Water
News
S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award
Now in its third edition, S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award is an opportunity for rising culinary talent to demonstrate and strengthen their skills.
Each young chef’s application and signature dish was evaluated by experts at the World’s Leading International Educational and Training Centre for Italian Cuisine, ALMA, in charge of the local finalist selection. ALMA’s experts evaluated the applications in adherence to the five “Golden Rules”: ingredients, skill, genius, beauty and message.
Aditya Kumar Jha from Tamba Abu Dhabi, Mario Christianto from The Exchange Grill Restaurant in Dubai and Nigel Lobo at The Eloquent Elephant in Dubai are among the top 10 MEA semi-finalists set to compete at a local challenge that will take place in Dubai this year. They have been selected from thousands of applications submitted by young chefs from over 90 different countries, all of them looking for their chance to be part of S.Pellegrino’s global talent search for the world’s best young chef.
Products
Nordaq Fresh
La Marquise International has brought to the market an innovative filtration system Nordaq Fresh which produces high quality water through its patent filtration process. Nordaq Fresh water is served in beautifully designed glass bottles, which can be reused and their water system contributes to a cleaner planet — bottled on-site, no fossil-fuelled transportation, no single use plastic bottles and no waste.
Nordaq Fresh is served in restaurants with a total of 122 stars in the Michelin Guide.
Lanjarón
Lanjarón has launched a new EcoPremium 1.25L bottle. The bottle is red, reinforcing the company’s Spanish origin and is manufactured using 50% recycled PET (rPET).
This serves as a substitute for a glass bottle and is geared for households and premium restaurants which want to present an environmentally-friendly bottle containing European natural mineral water at an affordable price.
Acqua Morelli
Acqua Morelli has a very low mineral content and is naturally filtered. The company has recently launched the new 500ml glass bottle in both still and sparkling which is becoming a trend in the Horeca industry. The royal blue Acqua Morelli bottles also comes in 250ml, 750ml and 1litre in still and sparkling with both glass and plastic packaging.
Sant’Anna
AKI Food Service Solutions has just recently added Sant’Anna water to its beverage portfolio. The water passes through granite rocks that yield little residue and few minerals; in particular, very small traces of sodium.
The spring, which is set at 1,950m above sea level is surrounded by nature and the the water reaches the bottling factory following strict production standards, avoiding any pollutants and ensuring the purity of the final product.
Operations
Logistics
According to a market report published last year by Euromonitor International, the Middle East and Africa region’s bottled water sector was set to reach 50.5 billion litres in 2016, with the UAE’s market size predicted to reach 1.2 billion litres. Limited infrastructure and harsh climate conditions in the region pose major logistical challenges to the regional bottled water industry. Companies must have the capacity to move large shipments quickly and efficiently as exposure to the elements can negatively affect the product. AKI Head of Food Service Solutions Doreen Smith explains: “As the water industry is high volume it requires the related infrastructure to support the distribution.”
Cost
In other industries an importer’s two biggest costs are storage and labour. However, this is not the case for most bottled water companies in the region.
According to Lanjarón Arabia Distributors president Jason Moore: “Our pricing is topped by our shipping costs, which is done in chilled ‘reefer’ containers, and has gone up a lot this summer due to more demand for goods being transported from Europe.” Moore adds: “Additionally, our storage costs have gone up due to high demand and low availability of clean, chilled warehouses in the UAE.”
It’s no secret that imported products tend to cost more than local ones. The general perception is that premium waters are usually imported. However, according to Fresh Express LLC brand manager — beverage Omar Al Sharif: “Many operators are very cost-oriented and sometimes prefer simply offering local water than imported ones.” Al Sharif continues: “However, with imported water, consumers are usually more willing to pay higher price which can increase the profit margins of an outlet or operator.
Competition
With several local and international brands in the market, the industry is highly competitive.
Smith says: “It is challenging to maintain operational costs due to the flexibility available in the market with several players trying to compete in the same category.”
Horeca marketing executive — UAE Monica Lamaa adds: “There are many new local water brands and this is a threat to global brands as they are able to charge less whilst still making a good margin. Rising import costs mean global brands are unable to compete in terms of price thus losing market share.”
Top trends
Consumer Awareness
The consumer is more informed than ever before. According to AKI Group head of food service solutions Doreen Smith: “People acknowledge and appreciate quality water. Their increasing awareness of what they put in their bodies is helping educating the market. It’s not only the sodium level the consumer nowadays is interested in the total package they are buying.”
Fresh Express LLC brand manager — beverage Omar Al Sharif agrees saying: “Bottled water consumption is extremely high and due to this, consumers are becoming more aware of the kind of water they are consuming. They are taking into account the mineral content, the sodium levels, etc and becoming more cautious of what water they are drinking.
In the UAE, labelling and municipality regulation is strict ensuring that consumers know exactly what they are purchasing. “The labels are regulated by ESMA and the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM). So the difference, simply put, is natural mineral water is natural and bottled drinking water is purified, often by reverse osmosis, with the minerals added back. You will find one set of these three words on every water bottle sold in the UAE,” adds Lanjarón Arabia Distributors president Jason Moore.
Sparkling
The speciality water segment has also seen substantial growth. Al Sharif says: “We are noticing a higher consumption of sparkling water than previous years. Consumers are beginning to enjoy having sparkling water that complements their dinner, their wine or simply as a refreshment on its own in weather like in the UAE. It is a much healthier alternative to all the soft drinks out there and provides the same refreshing feeling of a carbonated infused beverage.”
Sustainability
Rising awareness of environmental pollution has brought sustainability to the forefront for the majority of hotel chains. La Marquise International marketing manager Olga Cassidy says: “Hoteliers are seeking to reduce waste and CO2 emissions in various aspects, including the food and beverage operations.” Cassidy continues: “Nordaq Fresh is a sustainable product. The whole process is environmentally friendly and cost effective.”
Another bottled water company investing in sustainable practices is Lanjarón Arabia Distributors.
“We offer a “Recycling-Made-Easy” campaign where we pick up our customers’ used bottles during deliveries and recycle them,” says Moore.