Desalinated Deep-Sea Bottled Water to Hit US Markets

Desalinated deep-ocean drinking water is on its way to across the United States, as bottled water company Kona Deep readies to expand nationwide in 2016. CEO Patrick Turpin spoke to FoodNavigator-USA, highlighting his efforts to make available a pure, hydrating, and “infinitely renewable” water source. The Hawaii-based company bottles from deep-sea currents off the coast of Kona—sourcing water that melted thousands of years ago from Greenland glaciers, sank 10,000 feet to the ocean floor, traveled along miles of volcanic fissures, and then soaked up beneficial minerals before arriving at the US islands. That pure mineral content, Turpin said, gives Kona Deep an edge over its competitors. A study is underway at the University of Arizona to evaluate the impact of post-exercise hydration with deep-ocean mineral water, with preliminary results looking “very promising.” The product’s renewability—the thousand-year-old ocean current is “an immense, all-natural supply that is as perpetual as it is pure”—is arguably its biggest pro, especially with a “mega drought” threatening California drinking water sources. Desalinated bottled seawater is a virtually untapped market in the United States, but according to Turpin, in Asia it is used for everything from drinking and cosmetics to aquaculture.