Wasatch IceWater Co. selects standup pouch from Ampac Flexibles to market 20,000-year old artesian water

Wasatch is the first water to be marketed nationally in a flexible pouch.

13/02/06 Cincinnati, OH — Wasatch IceWater Company, Park City, UT, teams with Ampac Flexibles—Converted Products, a unit of Ampac Packaging, LLC, to bring its 20,000-year-old artesian water to market in a 16-ounce (473ml) stand-up flexible pouch. Wasatch is the first water to be marketed nationally in a flexible pouch.

The launch combines Wasatch’s Park City IceWater™ brand—a contaminant-free water created during the last ice age—with the latest in packaging innovation, to offer consumers both purity and convenience.

The present-day journey began several years ago when a natural well was discovered in Oakley, UT near the Uinta Mountains. Testing showed that the well contained an uncontaminated source of water—an occurrence which is extremely rare. This prompted the town mayor to contact Robert Sasser, a local resident with roots in consumer packaging and distribution. Sasser saw the potential in marketing the pure water and Wasatch IceWater Co. was born.

The water was found approximately a half mile under ground. The assumption was that through the shifting of tectonic plates, earthquakes and other geological occurrences, a glacier from the last ice age had been covered over and preserved it in its pristine state for more than 20,000 years.

"Nuclear testing has added some minor contamination to much of our ground water. However, in the case of this well, there are absolutely no traces of tritium [from nuclear testing], explains Craig Binks, chief operating officer and investor, Wasatch IceWater.

Once the company was founded, management devoted a few years to working through packaging and other production issues, to "to control our growth and do things right." The company built a plant, employing proprietary filling techniques, right at the source of the water.

"It free flows from the aquifer to the plant at a cold 41 degrees [Fahrenheit] without seeing the light of day," says Binks. "It comes straight out of the ground with no chemicals."

The facility is said to be the industry’s first to bottle water under strict Hazard Analysis at Critical Point (HACCP) guidelines. The rigid standards protect the water and enable Wasatch IceWater to deliver "water the way nature intended"—which doubles as the company’s tag line.

Within the past 90 days, all elements of packaging and production have come together to enable the company to push for extensive national—and even some international—distribution.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has given Wasatch IceWater permission to use "artesian water from glacier ice" on its package. Other bottled waters typically say "spring water" or "purified water," according to Binks.

However, before it could get to this point, Wasatch had to do its research to find the right package for its pristine water.

"We wanted to be different," says Binks. "We have a unique product and we wanted a unique package. Also, the pouch is environmentally friendly, which appeals to many of our consumers. It requires 75% less energy to produce and 95% less land fill compared to a PET [polyethylene terephthalate] bottle."

Wasatch turned to Ampac Flexibles because the company "produces an incredibly high-quality pouch. We looked at others and they are definitely the leaders in the industry," Binks says.

The end result was a proprietary flexible pouch structure which combines PET and biaxially-oriented nylon with a coextruded organoleptic inner layer. The inner layer’s properties not only safeguard against compromising taste, odor, color, etc. but also protects against structural failure.

"It was important to have a package that had tight seams and didn’t split. Our quality control department has subjected it to a variety of drop tests to make sure that the package was up to our quality standards," Binks says.

Another key element is Ampac’s SmartSpout™ pouch dispensing system. It combines three components from Seaquist Closures— polyethylene base fitment with a spout and a silicone valve topped off by Seaquist Closures’ EZ Turn Cap—a tamper-evident, easy-to-turn, swallow-resistant closure. The cap’s enlarged, ergonomic design makes it easy to grasp, turn and access the liquid.

The patented system enables dispensing in two different ways—the flexible pouch can be squeezed to evacuate the product through the spout or the consumer can place their lips around the spout and draw the liquid up through the valve.

If the pouch is inverted without any of the two above actions taking place, the valve holds the product inside the pouch with "no spills, no leaks and no drips." The valve also keeps out air and contaminants from entering.

Additionally, the pouch reduces in size as the liquid is removed.

Additionally, Ampac Flexibles has long been considered a leader in rotogravure pouch printing. The company’s investment in an eight-color Toshiba Sectional Drive press enables cost-effective, high-definition printing. Park City IceWater’s graphics feature snow-capped mountain peaks and are printed in 5-colors on both the front and back panel with purple and white as the predominant colors.

"It’s so easy to slip a couple of pouches into your pockets when you are skiing or biking, for example. They are durable and can conform to your body. You can also freeze the pouches, use them as portable ice packs and drink the water later. And when you are done, you have a flat empty pouch that can be easily disposed of," Binks says.

Park City IceWater is now available in retail outlets across the United States. Mainstream grocery and other retail outlets are being targeted as well as niche retailers who target sporting enthusiasts and other "on-the-go" consumers. For more information visit: www.wasatchicewater.com.