Three Bays water
Awards, exciting new deals and accolades flow as the world falls in love with Three Bays, Australia's premium mineral water
September 7, 2021
Silver and bronze medals at the world's most respected water competition, plus key new distribution deals, mean Australia's 'sweet and creamy' mineral water is a secret no longer.
The announcement on the weekend that Australia's most unique mineral water, Three Bays, has won key medals at the 2021 Fine Waters Taste Awards in Bled, Slovenia, is the latest in a string of high-profile accolades and deals for the tiny artisanal mineral water producer from Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
A raft of exciting new distribution deals across the United States and the Middle East includes US grocery giant C&S Wholesale Grocers, whose Marketing Analyst Kristi Peredo remarked:
"I have never tasted a water that was so clean, crisp and refreshing, with a smooth and creamy taste."
This follows high-profile exposure on US TV network and streaming services, with Three Bays water (formerly known as Aqui-Live) tasted by Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick for the hit Netflix documentary Down to Earth, plus appearances on Kevin Hart's new talk show Hart to Heart and NBC's morning TV staple, Today.
Topping the fine water world, again
After collecting a coveted Gold medal in the 'high minerality' category the last time the Fine Waters awards were staged in 2019, and also winning two Golds in the brand's inaugural appearance at the awards in 2018, the judges once again named Three Bays among the world's finest waters, awarding a Silver medal in the Added Carbonation (Sparkling) category and Bronze for its Still variety.
"We're really thrilled to once again be judged among the top brands of the fine water world," says Three Bays co-owner Olaf Lyche. "We have known since we first tasted the water rising to the surface on our property in 2015 that we were the custodians of something delicious and highly unusual. With these awards, it's clear the experts agree we have one of the finest mineral waters in the world."
'America is thirsty'
In recent months, Olaf and co-owner Dayle Purcell have inked distribution deals for their mineral-laden still and sparkling water varieties across the US and the Middle East, positioning Three Bays as the premium mineral water choice for restaurants, cafes and supermarkets in these key regions.
In those markets, increasingly discerning and health-conscious consumers are discovering the unique minerality and creamy mouth feel of Three Bays, as well as appreciating the ancient origin and composition of this truly unique water.
"America is thirsty," Olaf Lyche says. "We've had a huge bump in demand as a result of some recent key media exposure, and US stockists are clamouring to get Three Bays on their shelves."
Via Texas-based marketer Global Marketing Select, Three Bays has recently been ranged by giant US distribution companies United Natural Foods Inc. and C&S Wholesale. As a result, Three Bays is set to be on shelves at 36 Foodland supermarkets across Hawaii, 11 Central Markets organic retail stores in Texas, plus premium stockists in California including Nugget Markets, United Markets and SPD Markets.
C&S Wholesale Merchandising Analyst (Westcoast Division), Kristi Peredo, says her company was attracted by Three Bays' key points of differentiation including its high mineral content, delicious taste, packaging recyclability, and premium look and feel.
"The taste of the product by far is a superior brand, and tastes better than other mineral waters that I have been introduced to. I have never tasted a water that was so clean, crisp and refreshing, with a smooth and creamy taste," she says.
"Three Bays is an exciting launch for us and we are excited about the partnership and the future with this brand."
Hitting the prime time
Meanwhile, global buzz continues to grow around one of Australia's best-kept secrets via an increasing number of high-profile brand fans. Three Bays was recently featured in the Netflix documentary series Down To Earth starring Zac Efron, in which fellow Hollywood star Anna Kendrick performed a taste test and pronounced it "wild" while Efron was similarly impressed by his first encounter with Three Bays: "Water has a flavour, for sure."
Now, Three Bays has also featured on comedian Kevin Hart's new talk show Hart to Heart, sharing a sip with fellow funnyman and noted teetotaller Jay Leno. It was also expected to feature this week in a high-profile US breakfast timeslot on NBC's Today.
The choice for five-star dining
The water has been praised by one of the world's leading fine water experts, water sommelier and Fine Waters Awards judge Martin Riese, who describes it as "the olive oil of water" with the silky mouthfeel and creamy taste lent by its incredible minerality. Riese is the water sommelier for the famed French restaurant, Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood, where Three Bays takes pride of place on his carefully curated water menu.
Three Bays also continues to grow its reputation as a staple on water menus at many other high-end restaurants and cafes around the world, as Olaf and Dayle educate restaurateurs about the flavour enhancement that a water with a high TDS (total dissolved solids) can bring to exceptional food.
In Australia it has been selected by the W Hotel as its mineral water of choice, where it is stocked in dining establishments and as part of the minbar package in every hotel room. It is also the choice of the Hilton Hotel Melbourne Little Queen Street.
About Three Bays water
Testing has shown that Three Bays water rises from an aquifer 700 metres below the three picturesque bays that frame the Mornington Peninsula – Port Philip Bay, Corio Bay and Westernport Bay. The water is believed to take up to 2000 years to push up through the mineral-laden soil, emerging atop the Peninsula at Red Hill. No pumping or drilling is necessary, with up to 20,000 litres per day rising naturally to the surface where it is captured for bottling as Three Bays Still, or with carbonation added to produce Three Bays Sparkling.
The unique taste experience is inspired by one of the highest counts of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of any commercial mineral water brand in the world, at an incredible 1300 milligrams per litre. Uniquely, Three Bays Water has also been shown by scientific analysis to contain 23 of the 24 minerals required by the body to maintain good health.
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