PepsiCo and AQUA Carpatica Announce Strategic Relationship

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) announced it has entered into a strategic agreement with premium Romanian spring water AQUA Carpatica under which PepsiCo will own a 20 percent equity stake in AQUA Carpatica. Under the agreement, PepsiCo will have rights to distribute the spring water in Romania and in Poland with opportunities to expand into other markets, including the United States.

Founded by Swiss-Greek businessman and entrepreneur Jean Valvis in 2010, the award-winning AQUA Carpatica product line includes still spring water and naturally sparkling mineral waters that are bottled at the source in Romania’s pristine Carpathian Mountains. AQUA Carpatica’s premium sparkling natural mineral water is nitrate- and sodium-free, and provides natural electrolytes.

“With its excellent taste and premium positioning, AQUA Carpatica is a perfect complement to PepsiCo’s existing premium beverage portfolio,” said Silviu Popovici, CEO of PepsiCo Europe. “We are confident that AQUA Carpatica’s strong brand equity will resonate with our customers and consumers globally.”

“AQUA Carpatica is a brand that is as unique as its place of origin. I am delighted with the opportunity to join with PepsiCo to expand our footprint in Europe and explore opportunities to bring AQUA Carpatica and its health benefits to new consumers in new markets,” said Jean Valvis, Founder of AQUA Carpatica. “In little more than a decade, AQUA Carpatica has developed into a beloved brand in Europe, which we aspire to take public in the future. I am pleased that PepsiCo shares our vision to grow the brand in Europe and globally.”

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About AQUA Carpatica

In the Carpathian Mountains, after five years of analysing mineral water sources and selecting those with exceptional purity and extraordinary taste, the AQUA Carpatica brand was established in 2010 and was immediately adopted as a loved product by Romanian consumers. In just four years, by 2014, AQUA Carpatica became the best-selling natural spring water nationally, and by 2016 it established an international presence in 16 countries across four continents.

AQUA Carpatica’s portfolio offers a wide range of SKUs in all of the major packaging formats (glass, PET, aluminium cans) tailored to consumer preferences. The quality ‘nitrate-free’ makes AQUA Carpatica an ideal product for children and pregnant women, and the exceptional taste of its springs distinguishes it for the HoReCa channel. In order to sustainably preserve the original purity of its sources AQUA Carpatica’s management has implemented a strict zoning perimeter to protect the natural ecosystem.

For more information, visit www.aquacarpatica.com

Source: PepsiCo