Business And Leadership, Ireland's Business News Service

The brand story

They said it would never take off but, after 27 years as Ireland’s No 1 bottled water, the brand has grown from strength to strength, unveiling its two billionth bottle of pure Irish water last year.

Bottled at source in Newcastle West, Co Limerick, Ballygowan has grown from humble beginnings into a top-five employer in the area, producing 60 million litres of bottled water a year.

The concept was first developed by Geoff Read, the founder of the Ballygowan brand in the early Eighties. Then, in 1984, after extensive market research, Ballygowan bottled water was introduced into test outlets, which included delicatessens, small grocers and supermarkets. The positive results from this exercise indicated that broader, full-scale distribution was feasible.

In 1984, a joint-venture partnership for the production of Ballygowan was negotiated with Richard Nash and Co, one of Ireland’s long-established soft- drinks manufacturers.

Various acquisitions and deals followed, so eventually the Ballygowan brand was managed by Britvic Ireland.

The Ballygowan plant is considerable with a production facility and warehouse storage area, measuring 5,200 sq m each.

Ballygowan sealed its status as one of Europe’s top water-bottling plants in 2000, following a multimillion euro investment in new bottling and washing lines and warehouse facilities.

Products and services

Having started out with the still and sparkling variants, in 1990 Ballygowan Light was introduced, to be followed by a selection of flavoured still waters, free from added sugar, artificial flavourings or preservatives.

Ballygowan products are available in a range of packaging types and sizes: glass 250ml and 750ml; plastic (PET) 500ml, 1.5 litre, 2 litre and 5 litre; plus plastic 11 litres and 19 litres for water coolers.

Innovation

Ballygowan is drawn from a single well within the plant in Newcastle West, which has the capacity to bottle 960,000 bottles a day and store 400,000 cases of bottled water at any one time. The cutting-edge bottling line operates at speeds of up to 600 units a minute and the plant is among the most modern of its kind in Europe.

Recent innovations include new packs and product variants. The 250ml Fun Size pack was introduced in response to the needs of parents who were seeking healthier lunchbox fillers for their children.

The Ballygowan Hint of Fruit range includes the juicy combinations of: Orange & Mango, Strawberry & Cherry and Cranberry & Lime. It was introduced in 2006, following extensive taste tests and a desire to bring to market a range of naturally flavoured waters that provide alternative, healthier options.

One of Ballygowan’s key missions is to be the most environmentally aware and proactive company of its kind in Ireland. It has undertaken a number of initiatives to this end such as the recycling of glass, PET, shrink and cardboard boxes. It uses recycled and reusable cardboard layer pads and its bottles are 100pc recyclable. Over the past 10 years, Ballygowan has taken steps to reduce the weight of its bottles and has achieved a 30pc reduction in this regard.

Marketing and promotion

Ballygowan is consistently supported by active marketing campaigns across TV, print and promotions. The year 2007 was a remarkable one, as the brand picked up three awards for the creative work on its engaging TV ad ‘Bodies Never Lie’ (Let’s Dance), which features the soundtrack to David Bowie’s legendary hit and the voice of rising star Paula Flynn.

Stylishly shot in five locations — Blackrock, Glendalough, Rathfarnham, Rathmichael and Dún Laoghaire — Ballygowan wanted the ad to capture all of the brand’s attributes in terms of health and purity, taking a contemporary and memorable approach.

The success of the previous ‘Bodies Never Lie’ advertising campaign, which was the brand’s first departure into dance, led to the decision to go with the ‘Let’s Dance’ version.

Ballygowan’s entry into sports sponsorship has helped strengthen its position in the marketplace. Sponsorships such as The Ryder Cup, Munster Rugby, The Dublin City Marathon and the Football Association of Ireland have helped reinforce its place as the preferred bottled water for thousands of sports stars and athletes.

In its latest five-year deal with Munster Rugby, Ballygowan was unveiled as the official bottled water to the 26,500-seater Thomond Park Stadium — the home of Munster Rugby. During the 2008 Heineken Cup, Ballygowan provided Munster rugby teams with around 100,000 litres of bottled water, sourced at Newcastle West, which is only 25 miles away.

In other sponsorships, Ballygowan was the official water supplier to the 4th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards ceremony in February, keeping TV and film stars, 1,100 guests and behind-the-scenes organisers hydrated during the star-studded event.