Diosmieau Splash Water is looking to disrupt a very competitive category by being sustainable and canned to attract younger consumers.

The product is sourced from an artesian spring in Eastern Ontario. And it is now available at select Great Canadian Superstores, some indies like Sue’s Market, and Fresh & Wild Co, and online at Longos.com, where through March it has been linked to gift card contesting to drive trial.

Diosmieau Splash Water is the brainchild of Zachary Kalk and Daniel Benbassat, who both knew they were diving into an incredibly competitive sector, but that as they saw it, there were a number of legacy brands, but not many brands that really resonated with a younger demo.

“We wanted to bring a new identity and flavor, and we thought, ‘What would a perfect water company encapsulate?’ Sustainability was huge,” Kalk notes, adding that the duo saw a dearth of credibly sustainable packaged water players.

In fact, single-use plastics – such as the ubiquitous plastic water bottle – are one of the most abundant forms of pollution today, while many global water brands have contributed to issues of water insecurity globally. And Kalk and Benbassat wanted to shake things, which is why they’ve opted to package their water in aluminum cans.

“Canned water is new and not a lot of people even realize what it is,” Kalk says. “People see it and wonder what sort of water comes in a can – some even expect it to be something else.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqoUxx9GKxo

In-store, the pair hopes Splash’s design – as well as some eye-catching display elements – will grab audiences’ attention. It has an online spot, created in-house, that leans heavily on strong language and a nostalgic, tongue-in-cheek style (above).

The brand has also been turning up and running sampling efforts at public events, such as the Motionball Gala fundraiser for the Special Olympics. In the spring, Diosmieau Splash Water plans to host pop-ups at parks and even outside of stores to raise brand awareness and get that coveted liquid-to-lips opportunity.

It is also, specifically, targeting consumers who increasingly are becoming conscious not only of where the products they are buying are coming from and how they are packaged.

According to Kalk, today’s today’s consumers want to support companies that stand for something.  “With Splash, sustainability is a focal point, but that isn’t the only thing that encapsulates our brand,” Kalk says. “We wanted to focus on the bigger picture.”

That is why Kalk and Benbassat have partnered their business with non-profits, including 1% For The Planet and Waterboys YPC, to raise funds and awareness for safe water projects across Tanzania. Their trip helped to fund the development of a water well to provide clean water access to more than 2,500 people.