PepsiCo, Transcom Beverages launch Aquafina

Pepsico and Transcom Beverages Ltd yesterday announced the launch of Aquafina in Bangladesh.
Aquafina, a drinking water brand from PepsiCo, is one of the leading drinking water brands in the US and is currently sold across the world.
Launched nationally, a half litre pet bottle of Aquafina will be priced at Tk 15 while each 1.5-litre bottles will cost Tk 25.
“We are delighted to bring such a universally renowned brand to Bangladesh that has already proven its worth in international markets,” said Golam Quddus Chowdhury, managing director and CEO of Transcom Beverages Ltd.
With its unique attributes of the seven-step purification process, international brand image and widespread distribution, Aquafina has the potential to become one of the leading brands of bottled water in Bangladesh, Chowdhury said.
The brand will leverage PepsiCo's production, distribution and cooling infrastructure to give consumers, reliable chilled water within arm's reach to quench their thirst, he said.
“Our research shows that market for packaged drinking water in Bangladesh is growing, and the launch will give an impetus to the growth of category and bring in more consumers into the PepsiCo's fold,” said Prateek Sabharwal, country manager for PepsiCo Bangladesh.
“With Aquafina, PepsiCo aims to meet a long-standing consumer need for water they can trust, at affordable price.”
The purification process of Aquafina's water begins with the pre-filtration stage, where water enters the static mixer and particles are removed followed by the activated carbon purifier, which isolates trace elements, PepsiCo said in a statement yesterday.
“At the third step of polishing filter, smaller particles are caught and removed. The water then moves under high intensity UV lights which eliminate organic matter.”
Under the special reverse osmosis process, water is processed through five different membranes made of polymers and synthetics working in series at a particular pressure maintained by high-pressure pumps, it said.
Reverse osmosis is followed by ozonisation, which ensures there is zero chance of microorganisms remaining in the water. Ozonisation is followed by a polishing filter.
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands, generating more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales.
PepsiCo's main businesses are: Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade.