Merkkwater

What Merkkwater does

Merkkwater (legal entity: MERKK B.V.) is a Dutch private company that supplies and maintains plumbed-in water dispensers and coolers for workplaces, schools, hospitality venues and fitness centers across the Netherlands. The company sells and rents water tap systems that connect directly to the existing water main, providing filtered, cooled, and/or carbonated water on demand. Hardware is sourced from multiple OEMs including Blupura, Borg & Overstrom, Maestro, and Canaletas, with Merkkwater operating as the integrator — bundling consultation, professional installation by its own certified technicians, and ongoing maintenance (including filter replacement). The product portfolio spans wall-mounted, freestanding, tabletop, mobile, and on-site bottling configurations, with sensor-based touchless variants introduced in 2020.

The go-to-market is consultative direct sales: the website drives prospects to request a free consultation (vrijblijvend adviesgesprek) and brochure, with both purchase (kopen) and rental (huren) options offered. Revenue is generated across four streams: one-time equipment sales, recurring equipment rental subscriptions, custom-branded reusable glassware/bottles/carafes sold as accessories, and installation/maintenance services. The company operates primarily in the domestic Netherlands market with no international footprint referenced.

Customer concentration is broad and verticalized across horeca, corporate offices, education, and fitness. Named enterprise references include Schiphol Airport, RAI Amsterdam, Novotel Schiphol, Wehkamp, David Lloyd, Fitland, De Fabrique, Concertgebouw, Meervaart Theater, and International School of Amsterdam. Strategic partnerships — Made Blue (liter-for-liter clean water matching), Prise d'eau (local-source bottling), and Veluwefonds (Veluws water sub-brand) — frame the offering around sustainability and local provenance. The business is family-owned, led by Directors Ruud and Marlet Koele, with a core team of approximately five people per the company's own materials.

Name

Merkkwater

Legal name

MERKKb.v.

Website

https://www.merkkwater.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Merkkwater (MERKK B.V.) is a Dutch private company that sells, rents, installs, and maintains plumbed-in water dispensers and coolers delivering filtered, cooled, or sparkling water from the water main. It serves horeca, corporate offices, schools, and fitness centers across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Water Dispensers and Hydration Solutions

NAICS

Refrigeration Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423740)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydration, Water Filtration & Purification Retail (CRAMAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Countertop Water Filtration Systems (CRAJAJAC)

Keywords

• Plumbed water dispensers
• Office water coolers
• Sparkling water taps
• Water dispenser installation
• Sustainable hydration systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Almere

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water tap equipment sales: MERKKwater sells water tap systems (koop/kopen), including under-counter units, wall-mounted models, and tap towers. The company works with brands such as Blupura, Borg & Overstrom, Maestro, and Canaletas. Systems can be customized with branding, filtration, cooling, and carbonation options. One-time equipment purchase is a primary revenue stream.
2. Water tap equipment rental: MERKKwater offers rental (huren) of water tap systems as an alternative to purchase. This provides recurring rental revenue and makes the solution accessible to organizations that prefer not to make a capital investment.
3. Custom branded glassware and bottles: Sale of custom-printed reusable glass bottles, carafes, and bidons with client logos or branding. These are sold as part of the complete water solution to hospitality, corporate, and event clients, providing additional revenue alongside the tap installation.
4. Installation and maintenance services: MERKKwater provides professional installation by its own certified technicians and ongoing maintenance services, including filter replacement. This full-service offering is bundled with equipment sales and rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Merkkwater supplies, installs, and maintains plumbed-in water dispensers and coolers that connect directly to the water main to deliver filtered, chilled, and/or sparkling water on demand for hospitality, corporate, education, and fitness clients in the Netherlands. The company offers both purchase and rental options of tap systems sourced from manufacturers such as Blupura, Borg & Overstrom, Maestro, and Canaletas, complemented by custom-branded glass bottles, carafes, and bidons. Installation, certification, and ongoing filter/maintenance service are bundled with every sale by Merkkwater's own technicians.

Product overview

Merkkwater is a Dutch company specializing in sustainable drinking water solutions for businesses, hospitality, schools, and fitness facilities. The product portfolio centers on professional water tap systems (watertappunten) and water coolers (waterkoelers) that connect directly to the water supply, providing filtered, chilled, and/or sparkling water on demand. Key product lines include the Tafelmodel (tabletop), Model Wall (wall-mounted), Model Sport (freestanding), and Hydrazon (compact) series, with options for touch-free sensor operation. Complementary offerings include glass bottles and carafes (glazen flessen en karaffen) with custom branding, mobile water tap units for events, and on-site bottling systems (bottelarij). The company provides full-service installation, maintenance, and repair through its own technicians. Products serve diverse sectors including hospitality (horeca), offices (kantoren), schools (scholen), and fitness centers, with notable clients such as Schiphol Airport, RAI Amsterdam, Wehkamp, Novotel, and various schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Veluws water: A collaborative brand with Veluwefonds targeting restaurants in the Veluwe region with sustainable water solutions.

Products and services

• Water Tap Systems and Water Coolers (Watertappunten / Waterkoelers) Professional water dispensers and coolers from partner brands Blupura, Borg & Overstrom, Maestro, and Canaletas that connect directly to the customer's water main to deliver filtered, chilled, and optionally sparkling water on demand. Available as tabletop, wall-mounted, or freestanding units, with hands-free infrared-sensor or foot-pedal operation options. Sold or rented to hospitality, corporate, education, and fitness clients across the Netherlands.
• Sparkling Water Tap (Bruiswater Tap) Water tap systems that add carbon dioxide on demand to produce sparkling water directly from the water main, delivered via compact under-counter units with tap towers. Suited to restaurants, hotels, and corporate settings with high-volume sparkling water needs.
• On-site Bottling System (Bottelarij) On-site water bottling system that connects to a local water source so venues such as museums can bottle their own filtered still or sparkling water in-house. Provided in partnership with Prise d'eau, with the TextielMuseum in Tilburg cited as a deployed installation using Tilburg's own water source.
• Custom-Branded Glass Bottles and Carafes (Glazen Flessen en Karaffen) Reusable glass bottles, carafes, and bidons supplied with custom printing of client logos or unique designs, with closure options such as cork stoppers, colored screw caps, or flip-top lids. Sold alongside tap installations to provide hospitality, corporate, school, and event clients with a complete branded water presentation.
• Installation and Maintenance Service Professional turnkey installation by Merkkwater's own certified technicians, including connection to the water main, temperature and flow optimization, periodic filter replacement, hygiene maintenance, repairs, and rapid-response breakdown service (24/7 storingsnummer). Bundled with every equipment sale and rental.

Quantifiable outcome

• No specific quantified outcome disclosed

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Made BluecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMERKKwater partners with Made Blue, a nonprofit organization that provides clean drinking water in developing countries. For every liter of water consumed or saved through MERKKwater installations, Made Blue matches it with a liter of clean water in developing countries (liter for a liter program). MERKKwater offers its customers the option to participate in this program. Made Blue also partners with Retulp for sustainable water bottles. This partnership reflects MERKKwater's double mission: sustainable water at every location (in the Netherlands) and clean water access globally.
• VeluwefondsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMERKKwater collaborates with the Veluwefonds to approach local restaurants under the 'Veluws water' brand, promoting regional sustainable water solutions in the Veluwe area.
• Prise d'eauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMERKKwater installed a bottling system (bottelarij) at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg in partnership with Prise d'eau, a company that sources water from Tilburg's own water source. The installation uses water from the local source.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quench (by Culligan): Direct competitor offering plumbed-in filtered water dispensers and ice machines to commercial workplaces on a rental/service model. Closest comparable in go-to-market, product category, and customer base to MERKKwater.
• Waterlogic (Culligan): Global plumbed-in water dispenser company (now part of Culligan) targeting offices, hospitality, and education with point-of-use filtration and UV purification — same product category and vertical mix as MERKKwater.
• Elkay Manufacturing: U.S. manufacturer of water coolers and bottle-filling stations for commercial settings, including schools and offices. Direct peer in plumbed-in drinking water equipment with overlapping customer verticals.
• Oasis International: Manufacturer and supplier of water coolers and dispensers (bottled and plumbed-in) for offices, schools, and hospitality. Comparable product offering and customer base to MERKKwater's commercial portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Culligan International: Global water-treatment major offering residential, commercial, and industrial water solutions including plumbed-in dispensers. Much larger incumbent that overlaps with MERKKwater in the commercial dispensers segment as part of a broader portfolio.
• BWT AG (Best Water Technology): European water-technology leader with a broad portfolio of point-of-use filtration, water dispensers, and pool/water-tech products. A broad incumbent in the same commercial water-dispenser space as MERKKwater with substantially more resources.
• Brita (Brita LP): Global water filtration brand selling pitchers, under-sink systems, and commercial dispensers. Adjacent competitor in water filtration/dispensing with strong consumer brand recognition.
• SodaStream (PepsiCo): Consumer sparkling-water appliance brand that competes for the same "tap water over bottled" narrative at the household level. Adjacent incumbent addressing similar sustainability/hydration use cases via a different delivery model.

Others

• Blupura: Italian manufacturer of professional water dispensers (including the Hydrazon and Tafelmodel ranges) that MERKKwater resells in the Netherlands. Supplier and ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor in the Dutch market.
• Borg & Overstrom: British manufacturer of premium water dispensers (e.g., Model Sport) that MERKKwater distributes in the Dutch market. Supplier/ecosystem relationship rather than direct end-market competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MERKKwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/merkkwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Merkkwater