Blue Waters Products started in 1999 with only 12 employees, which included one salesman, and two trucks. Now, some 26 years later, the Blue Waters brand has become iconic in the Caribbean, with its flagship facility in Orange Grove, Tacarigua employing more than 600 people. The company also exports to several countries including Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin and St Thomas.

The company is also well-decorated, earning awards for its performance from local entities such as TTMA, and the Supermarket Association and international entities such as Deloitte.

Last year it was honoured with the TTMA’s Manufacturer of the Year (large) award and the President’s Award from the Supermarkets Association.

This year the company plans to go even further in its dominance of the Caribbean market. After a tour of the company’s facility with Minister of Trade Paula Gopee-Scoon on January 13, owner Dominic Hadeed and CEO Pradeep Subrian said it plans to install up to three more facilities for distilling water and manufacturing other beverages in the region. The executives said the company intends to continue expanding to achieve its vision of providing a bottle of water for every man, woman and child each day, throughout the Caribbean.

The Blue Waters pipeline

Blue Waters has facilities in St Lucia and TT, from where it distributes distilled bottled water and alkaline water which it gets from its artesian wells.

[caption id="attachment_1133064" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A line of Alkaline Water is seen on a conveyor belt at the manufacturing facility of Blue Waters in Orange Grove Road, Tacarigua on January 13.[/caption]

Artesian wells are created when pressure builds up below ground, forcing underground water to the surface.

Blue Waters drills wells into an aquifer, a water-bearing layer of porous rock, to access the water and supply its state-of-the-art bottling plant.

The company is also behind several other brands.

Blue Waters' Cran+ is a carbonated, flavoured beverage that comes in Cran/Apple, Cran/Grape and Cran/Lime. Juse is a juice drink with 50 per cent less calories and sugar than other brands, and has added vitamins. Juse comes in six flavours: apple, grape, orange, pink grapefruit, passion fruit and guava pine.

Stamina Energy is a non-alcoholic energy drink with low sugar and no fat or cholesterol, which is enhanced with vitamin B.

Blue Waters' Malt Beverages is a malt drink that contains Vitamins A, C and E as well as B Complex and is sodium free.

Hadeed said while there may be opportunities for the company to expand outside of the region he is going to focus on growing in the Caribbean.

"There are a lot of opportunities for us in the Caribbean," said Hadeed on January 13.

"We want to put about two or three more facilities in the Caribbean in the next ten-15 years. I think that would keep us busy for a number of years."

Hadeed said the company has been pushing a lot of exports, something necessary for its continued growth. He