Premium Waters

What Premium Waters does

Premium Waters, Inc. is a privately held U.S. bottled water producer and distributor headquartered in Riverside, Missouri (with a Minneapolis corporate office), founded in 1994 and operated as a subsidiary of the Chesterman Company, which has bottling roots dating back to 1870. The company produces and distributes a portfolio of nine consumer brands spanning spring, purified, artesian, distilled, alkaline, electrolyte, fluoridated, flavored, and caffeinated water, including Nicolet (official water of the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers), Chippewa Spring Water (bottled since 1893 with 200 acres of protected woodland), Kandiyohi, Blue Falls, Glacier Clear, La Crosse, Nature's Crystal, Fruit Splash, and Water Joe.

Operations span 14 PET bottling plants, 4 five-gallon production facilities, and 8 home-and-office-delivery distribution centers across the United States, producing under HACCP plans and certified to SQF 2000 Level 3 (the first large U.S. bottled water company to achieve this), with IBWA membership and NSF third-party audits. Vertical integration includes in-house blow molding of PET bottles and caps since 2004.

Revenue is generated through five streams: subscription-based home and office water and coffee delivery (recurring, no startup fees, no long-term contracts, with a $100 referral credit); high-volume private-label production for national retail chains and regional grocers; short-run custom-label bottled water for events and corporate functions; sale of branded water through retail stores; and office coffee service and equipment. The go-to-market combines direct field sales for B2B/private-label accounts, a structured delivery service with online account management for home and office customers in the Upper Midwest, and a multi-channel marketing program anchored on sports sponsorships, content marketing via the H2knOw blog, and a referral program. The company has executed a continuous roll-up strategy, completing over a dozen brand and plant acquisitions since 1994, most recently acquiring Ripp Distributing and La Crosse Premium Water and building a new Seguin, Texas plant in 2024.

Name

Premium Waters

Legal name

Premium Waters, Inc.

Website

https://premiumwaters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Premium Waters is a privately held U.S. bottled water producer and distributor operating 14 PET plants, four five-gallon facilities, and eight home-and-office-delivery centers across the United States. It serves home, office, retail, and event customers through nine consumer brands, private-label production, and subscription water and coffee delivery as a Chesterman Company subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bottled Water

NAICS

Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Label Bottled Water Manufacturing (AFAFACAI), Bulk Bottled Water Production (Large Format, Home/Office Delivery) (AFAFACAH), Spring Water Bottling (AFAFACAA), Flavored/Enhanced Bottled Water Production (Essenced, Vitamin, Electrolyte) (AFAFACAF)

Keywords

• Bottled water production
• Home water delivery
• Private label water
• Office coffee service
• Beverage manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Home and Office Water Delivery: Recurring subscription-based delivery of 3- and 5-gallon spring and purified water jugs, single-serve options, and full office coffee service delivered on a scheduled basis. Customers pay recurring fees for water, coolers, and related products with no startup fees or long-term contracts required.
2. Private Label Bottled Water Production: High-volume private label bottled water supply and distribution for national retailers and regional grocers. Production capacity handles consistent demand at scale for ongoing supply contracts.
3. Custom Label Bottled Water: Short-run custom label bottled water for special events, with personalized branding. One-time or project-based production for occasions such as corporate events or weddings.
4. Retail Branded Water Sales: Sale of branded water products through retail stores under company brands including Blue Falls, Chippewa Spring Water, Glacier Clear, Kandiyohi, La Crosse, Nature's Crystal, Nicolet, and Water Joe.
5. Coffee and Equipment Service: Office coffee delivery including Keurig coffee, traditional brewers, and specialty coffee brewers. Also includes water cooler service with professional setup and ongoing maintenance, and water softener salt delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Premium Waters manufactures and distributes bottled water under multiple proprietary brands (Blue Falls, Chippewa Spring Water, Fruit Splash, Glacier Clear, Kandiyohi, La Crosse, Nature's Crystal, Nicolet, Water Joe) through 14 PET bottling plants across the United States. The company delivers 3- and 5-gallon spring and purified water jugs, single-serve options, and office coffee service to homes and offices in the Upper Midwest, and produces private label and custom label bottled water for national retailers, regional grocers, event planners, and brands.

Product overview

Premium Waters is a national bottled water organization offering a diverse portfolio of branded water products and delivery services. The core offerings include nine distinct water brands spanning multiple water types: Blue Falls (purified/spring), Chippewa Spring Water (spring), Fruit Splash (flavored), Glacier Clear (distilled/purified/spring), Kandiyohi (distilled/purified), La Crosse (premium), Nature's Crystal (alkaline/distilled/electrolyte/fluoridated/purified/spring), Nicolet (alkaline/artesian/distilled/spring), and Water Joe (caffeinated). Complementary services include home/office water delivery, coffee delivery, water softener salt delivery, water coolers, filtration systems (carbon and reverse osmosis), and ice machines. The company also operates B2B platforms for private-label and custom-label bottled water production serving retailers and event planners nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Falls: Premium brand offering purified drinking water and spring water products.
• Chippewa Spring Water
• Fruit Splash
• Glacier Clear
• Kandiyohi
• La Crosse
• Nature's Crystal
• Nicolet
• Water Joe

Products and services

• Blue Falls Premium purified drinking water and spring water brand offering bottled water in multiple sizes for retail purchase.
• Chippewa Spring Water Natural spring water brand sourced from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with 200 acres of protected natural woodlands surrounding the spring source bottled since 1893.
• Fruit Splash Flavored water beverage with natural flavors, no calories, and no sugar.
• Glacier Clear Premium distilled, purified drinking, and spring water brand available in multiple sizes for retail purchase and delivery.
• Kandiyohi Premium purified drinking water brand founded in 1985 in Willmar, MN, available in distilled and purified options in multiple sizes.
• La Crosse Premium Water Premium water brand offering purified drinking water products for home and office delivery.
• Nature's Crystal Multi-type water brand offering alkaline, distilled, electrolyte, fluoridated, purified drinking, and spring water varieties in various sizes.
• Nicolet Natural Artesian Water Natural artesian water brand and official water of the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers, available in alkaline, artesian, distilled, and spring options.
• Water Joe Caffeinated Water World's first caffeinated water product combining water with caffeine — zero sugar, zero artificial sweeteners, zero calories, zero color, zero taste.
• Home & Office Water Delivery Scheduled recurring delivery service for 3- and 5-gallon spring and purified water jugs, single-serve options, and full office coffee service in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.
• Coffee Delivery Service Office coffee service including Keurig coffee, traditional coffee brewers, and specialty coffee brewers with delivery.
• Water Softener Salt Delivery Water softener salt delivery service for residential and commercial customers.
• Water Coolers Water cooler equipment with professional setup and ongoing maintenance included with delivery service.
• Filtration Systems Water filtration equipment including carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems for offices and homes.
• Ice Machines Ice machine equipment sales and delivery for commercial and residential use.
• Private Label Bottled Water High-volume private label bottled water production and distribution for regional grocers and national chains.
• Custom Label Bottled Water Custom-labeled bottled water for special events, corporate functions, weddings, fundraisers, and brand promotions with flexible run quantities.
• Positeav Green Tea Citrus Bottled green tea citrus beverage (and diet variant) launched in 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero startup fees and no long-term contracts for home and office delivery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Waters is a member of IBWA, which requires annual unannounced inspections by independent parties and sets the IBWA Model Code for quality standards. Membership helps ensure reliability, satisfaction, and quality compliance.
• Sustainable Packaging CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Waters advocates for cross-industry packaging solutions through SPC membership, believing complex environmental problems are better addressed through industry collaboration toward mutual goals.
• How2RecycleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium Waters is a member of How2Recycle, a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to consumers. Coalition of forward-thinking brands empowering consumers through smart packaging labels.
• WatershedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Waters partnered with Watershed, a premier carbon accounting firm, to accurately measure their carbon footprint and identify areas for environmental improvement.
• Green Bay PackerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNicolet water became the official bottled water of the Green Bay Packers professional football team due to close proximity of the Nicolet water source in northeastern Wisconsin.
• Milwaukee BrewerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNicolet water is the official bottled water of the Milwaukee Brewers professional baseball team. Partnership includes Nicolet Water Kid contest with stadium experiences for children ages 7-14.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PepsiCo: Producer of Aquafina, LIFEWTR, and bubly, with national bottling and distribution reach. Overlaps Premium Waters across retail bottled water, private label supply for retailers, and functional/enhanced water subcategories.
• The Coca-Cola Company: Producer of Dasani and smartwater, including through U.S. bottling partners. Broad incumbent competing against Premium Waters across retail bottled water, especially in enhanced/flavored subcategories.
• Culligan International: Global water treatment company operating a large franchised HOD and bottleless water cooler network. Comparable to Premium Waters' office and home delivery segment and a meaningful competitor for office coffee/water contracts.

Emerging players

• Liquid Death: Fast-growing canned water brand that disrupts bottled water conventions with aluminum packaging. Emerging competitor to Premium Waters' PET bottled portfolio, particularly with younger consumers and in on-premise channels.

Direct peers

• Crystal Geyser Water Company: Family-owned national bottled water and private label producer with spring sourcing and PET bottling operations across the western U.S. Closely comparable to Premium Waters on private label scale, branded retail, and spring-water positioning.
• Primo Brands: Public water company (formed via Primo Water + Cott Bottling merger) operating the largest U.S. bottled water and home/office delivery network under Primo, Sparkletts, Sierra Springs, Crystal Springs, Kentwood, and Mountain Valley brands. Direct competitor across Premium Waters' private label, branded retail, and HOD business lines.
• Mountain Valley Spring Water: Premium spring water brand bottled from Hot Springs, AR, now part of Primo Brands. Comparable to Premium Waters' Nicolet and Chippewa Spring Water premium spring positioning and HOD delivery model.
• Ice River Springs: Canadian-based bottled water and private label producer — Premium Waters acquired three Ice River Springs plants (Allentown PA, Kentland IN, Pittsfield MA) in 2019. Closest peer on operational and acquisition model, with 100% recycled PET focus.
• BlueTriton Brands: Former Nestlé Waters North America, now standalone, producing Poland Spring, Deer Park, Arrowhead, Zephyrhills, and Pure Life across bottled water retail and HOD. Directly comparable national producer with overlapping spring sources, PET bottling, and private label capability.
• Niagara Bottling: Largest U.S. private-label bottled water producer, operating 30+ plants nationwide. Closest direct comparable to Premium Waters' private label / national retail chain business given similar PET-only production model and retailer customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/premium_waters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC__eVrknynOvXzkulwytilQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/premiumwaters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premium-waters-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/premium_waters

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Premium Waters