Nama Water

What Nama Water does

Nama Water (operated under legal entity Ethically Inc, incorporated in California) is a single-product premium bottled water company founded in 2020 in San Francisco by Deepika Phakke, who left Google in August 2022 to operate the business full-time. The company sources spring water from Tiger, Georgia — described as one of the rainiest rainforests in the United States — and packages it in reusable, recyclable bottles under what it characterizes as the world's first zero waste bottled water program, with end-to-end ownership of bottles from manufacturing through recycling. Its product line comprises single bottles ($3) and 12-packs ($36) of still spring water, plus limited-edition branded merchandise including tote bags ($9.99), mermaid coffee mugs ($19.99), and stickers ($2.99), and $50 digital gift cards; a sparkling water line is being prepared for launch.

The company runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront on Shopify, complemented by retail distribution through approximately 22 San Francisco Bay Area points-of-sale including Proper Food (9 SF locations plus SFO Terminal 1), Red Bay Coffee (6 locations), Epicurean Trader (4 locations), and the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland, with free local shipping via code BAE24. It also operates a wholesale and bulk-order program for retailers and businesses. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram, with supporting presence on Facebook and Twitter, email newsletter capture (offering 10% off), and earned media including a New York Times feature.

Operationally, Nama Water is a 1-10 employee, founder-led, women-owned private company. Its only documented external capital event is an undisclosed round from ICA.fund on 2023-08-11. The customer base is horizontally segmented around environmentally conscious and values-driven consumers in the San Francisco Bay Area, with no disclosed enterprise anchors. The business model is unit-priced transactional sales (one-time purchases) of water and merchandise, supplemented by wholesale transactions. The company is not pursuing patents, has no disclosed M&A activity, and no AI/ML capability is referenced in its product or technology stack.

Name

Nama Water

Legal name

Ethically Inc

Website

https://namawater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nama Water is a San Francisco-based, women-owned DTC premium spring water brand sourcing from Tiger, Georgia, USA and selling reusable, zero-waste bottle still water ($3/bottle, $36/12-pack) plus branded merchandise to environmentally conscious Bay Area consumers via Shopify e-commerce and ~22 retail partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Bottled Water

NAICS

Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spring Water Bottling (AFAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bottled Water (Still, Sparkling, Enhanced) (CRADAHAC)

Keywords

• Premium bottled water
• Spring water delivery
• Reusable water bottles
• Sustainable packaged water
• Direct-to-consumer beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Bottled Water Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of ethically sourced spring water in reusable bottles. Products sold individually ($3/bottle) or in packs of 12 ($36/pack). Company claims to be the world's first zero waste bottled water company.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including limited edition tote bags ($9.99), coffee mugs ($19.99), and mermaid stickers ($2.99). Products designed to reinforce brand identity and sustainability messaging.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available at $50 denominations, enabling customers to gift the Nama Water experience.
4. Wholesale/Bulk Orders: Wholesale and bulk order program for retailers and businesses. Contact provided: [email protected] and phone 650-338-9871.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nama Water sells ethically sourced premium spring water bottled in reusable and recyclable containers as part of a zero-waste program. The company sources spring water from Tiger, Georgia, USA—one of the rainiest rainforests in the United States—and takes end-to-end ownership of bottles from manufacturing through recycling. Its product portfolio includes single bottles and packs of 12, plus branded merchandise such as tote bags, coffee mugs, and stickers, with a sparkling water line planned.

Product overview

Nama Water is a single-product-focused sustainable bottled water company with supplementary branded merchandise. The core offering is ethically sourced spring water from Tiger, Georgia, USA, sold in reusable and recyclable bottles as part of a zero-waste program. The product portfolio includes spring water in single-bottle and 12-pack formats (core products), plus limited edition branded merchandise including tote bags, coffee mugs, and stickers featuring the company's mermaid mascot. A sparkling water line is planned for future launch. The company positions itself as the world's first zero waste bottled water company, taking end-to-end ownership of bottles from manufacturing through recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nama Water: Ethically sourced spring water brand focused on zero waste, sustainability, and reusable packaging.

Products and services

• Pack of 12 Premium Spring Water Bottles

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Perrier: Perrier is a global incumbent sparkling and still mineral water brand with broad US foodservice and retail distribution. Relevant as a benchmark incumbent that any premium water entrant must compete against on shelf and in on-premise accounts.
• Fiji Water: Fiji Water is the dominant premium still spring water brand in the US with national distribution. Relevant as the category leader Nama competes against on premium positioning and shelf presence.
• Voss Water: Voss is a global premium bottled water brand sold in iconic cylindrical glass and PET bottles at upscale retail and hospitality. Comparable on premium pricing, design-led packaging, and foodservice presence.

Emerging players

• Liquid Death: Liquid Death has built a strong premium brand around canned water (still and sparkling) targeting values-driven younger consumers via heavy social marketing. Comparable on premium positioning, brand-led GTM, and social-first channel strategy.
• Open Water: Open Water sells canned and bottled still and sparkling spring water with an ocean-plastic-removal mission. Comparable to Nama on sustainability narrative, premium pricing, and DTC-plus-retail channels.

Direct peers

• Path Water: Path offers refillable aluminum bottle water as a reusable, sustainability-focused alternative to single-use plastic. Closely comparable to Nama's reusable-bottle, zero-waste model and overlapping DTC plus foodservice distribution.
• Mountain Valley Spring Water: Mountain Valley is a heritage US spring water brand sold in glass bottles at premium retail and DTC. Directly comparable to Nama on US spring water sourcing, premium positioning, and reusable/glass packaging.
• Boxed Water Is Better: Boxed Water sells still water in paper-based cartons with an explicit sustainability/anti-plastic brand story. Directly competes with Nama Water for environmentally conscious US consumers seeking alternatives to PET bottled water.
• Just Water: Just Water sells ethically sourced spring water in plant-based carton packaging via DTC and retail. Closest comparable to Nama Water on sustainability positioning, premium pricing, and DTC-plus-retail GTM in the US.

Regional players

• Saratoga Spring Water: Saratoga is a California-distributed premium spring water brand sold in PET and glass at retail and foodservice. Overlaps with Nama on Bay Area/Premium US spring water positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nama_water
• Facebookfacebook.com/drinknamawater
• Instagraminstagram.com/nama_water
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/namawater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nama Water