As the bottled water market has ridden a high tide of success in the past several years, many players in the market have experienced likened success. Founded in 2001, New York-based Voss Water of Norway established itself as an ultra-premium bottled water brand that was exclusively offered in high-end on-premise accounts. In 2010, the company gained a new group of leaders who had a larger vision for the brand.
“[The founders] didn’t have as broad of a vision of what the brand could be that we have,” says Jack Belsito, group chief executive officer. “They were fearful of expansion into more channels and how that might detract from that super-premium position, so they were guarded originally, the founders. … We also think the brand itself has potential to expand into other categories, which we haven’t done much yet. We think it’s there for us, when we’re in a position where we think we can make that make sense or bring value to something that isn’t there yet.”