Fiji Water

History

Canadian businessman David Gilmour founded Fiji Water under the name Natural Waters of Viti Ltd. in 1996. Stewart and Lynda Resnick's Roll Global (since renamed to The Wonderful Company) acquired Fiji Water from Gilmour in 2004 for a reported US$50million.

Fiji Water acquired Justin Vineyards & Winery in 2010.

In Fiji

Fiji Water bottles water from Fiji and ships it overseas. The water is sourced from Yaqara, on the north shore of Viti Levu, the largest island of Fiji.

In 2007–2008, disputes with the Fiji government over export duties led to legal cases, impounded shipments and a self-imposed industry-wide shutdown of Fijian water bottlers. The government eventually dropped its proposed 20-cent per litre tax. In December 2008, Fiji Water laid off 40percent of its staff due to weakening sales.

In November 2010, Fiji deported Fiji Water director of external affairs David Roth for "interfering in Fiji's domestic affairs," leading to the resignation of interim defence and immigration minister, Ratu Epeli Ganilau. Shortly afterwards, an increase in the tax from one-third of a Fiji cent per litre to 15 cents per litre for producers over 15million litres per month which at that point in time applied only to Fiji Water, led the company to shut down its Fiji Island offices on November 29, 2010. The purpose of the raise was to increase Fiji Water's tax contribution to the Fiji Government on the F$150million (AUD 82million) they exported each year from F$500,000 to F$22.6million.

The next step for the brand was thought to be a move to New Zealand. However, after threats from the government to give the well to another company, Fiji Water announced its intent to resume operations and accept the new tax levy.

In December 2010, Fiji Water's Fiji plant had 400 employees. The company also established a foundation to provide water filters to rural Fiji communities, 50% of which lacked access to clean water at the time. As of 2018, it was down to 12%.

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission issued a recall of almost two million Fiji Water bottles due to elevated levels of manganese and three bacterial genera in products sold between February and March. The products were classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as "not likely to cause adverse health consequence".

Marketing

Fiji Water uses the slogan "Earth's finest water."

In 2006, Fiji Water ran an advertisement stating, "The label says Fiji because it's not bottled in Cleveland". This was taken as an insult by the US city's water department. The Cleveland Water Department ran tests comparing a bottle of Fiji Water to Cleveland tap water and some other national bottled brands. Fiji Water reportedly contained 6.31 micrograms of arsenic per litre, whereas the tap water of Cleveland contained none.

Environmental impact

Fast Company reported in 2007 that the factory machinery to extract water from underground is run on diesel fuel. Producing one Fiji Water bottle uses 1.75 gallons of water and 2,000 times more energy than tap water. In 2008, to reduce its carbon footprint, the company announced plans to plant natural forest. However the company's portion of its website that tracked its progress was shut down by 2011. By 2019, only 50% of the area of natural forest the company promised was planted. Fiji Water's carbon negative plan will not be met until at least 2037. Aja Romano from Vox wrote that "the long-term impact of globally exporting drinking water is a giant mess of un-recycled plastic clogging landfills." While Romano's quote is in reference to the water bottling industry overall, her article was focused on Fiji Water.

On January 31, 2025, environmental watchdog group The Plastic Coalition filed a lawsuit against Fiji Water, claiming the company's marketing of the product as "natural artesian water" is false given that tests show that it contains harmful microplastics and the chemical BPA.

References

References

1. "What is the pH of Fiji Water?". Fiji Water.
2. "PH of Popular Bottled Water". Fit4Maui.com.
3. (21 June 2010). "pH Levels of Bottled Water". Comfy Tummy.
4. "Is Your Bottled Water Acidic, Neutral, or Alkaline?". Sang Labs Beverages.
5. (2009). "FIJI FAQ".
6. (December 6, 2010). "From water – to wine? Fiji Water buys California winery". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. [http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2008/07/26/fiji-government-yields-to-bottled-water-company-pressure/ Fiji government yields to bottled water company pressure], IceNews, Chris Bolwig, July 26, 2008.
8. Business Week]]'', January 30, 2009
9. (November 29, 2010). "Fiji Water shuts down business after tax hike". [[RNZ Pacific.
10. (November 18, 2010). "Ganilau says Fiji Water row behind him quitting regime". Radio New Zealand International.
11. (November 30, 2010). "Water works shut down as tax trickle turns into stream". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
12. (November 29, 2010). "Fiji Water Leaves Fiji: 4 Things to Know About the Shutdown". Aolnews.com.
13. Adams, Guy. (December 1, 2010). "Mineral water giant pulls plug on Fiji". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
14. "A Bottled-Water Drama In Fiji".
15. (December 2, 2010). "Update: FIJI Water to Reopen December 1". BevNET.com.
16. (December 1, 2010). "Union tells workers to value FIJI Water pay". Radio New Zealand International.
17. (August 30, 2010). "Fiji Water helps Fiji villages to produce to clean water". [[Radio New Zealand International]].
18. "The Story of Bottled Water (2010)". storyofstuffproject=March 22, 2013.
19. (20 February 2020). "The Truth About Fiji Water". [[Static Media]].
20. Powel, James. "Nearly 1.9 million Fiji water bottles sold through Amazon recalled over bacteria, manganese".
21. (2017). "FIJI WATER - NATURE'S GIFT".
22. "Cleveland Takes Offense at Fiji Water Ad, The Washington Post, July 20, 2006. Associated Press". [[The Washington Post]].
23. "Message in a Bottle".
24. (7 January 2019). "Fiji Water Girl would be a great meme if bottled water were something to celebrate". [[Vox Media]].
25. (5 February 2025). "Fiji Water Lawsuit Raises Concerns About Microplastics".