Industry Veteran Pete Carr’s Next Move: Atmospheric Water
October 21, 2024In late August, SND exclusively reported industry veteran Pete Carr’s departure from Bacardi after an illustrious career culminating in a post as global chief growth officer at the family-owned drinks giant. Now, Carr is embarking on his next move, heading up the new Americas unit at water technology company A1rwater.
Working from its base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), A1rwater has developed proprietary technology that converts humidity from the atmosphere into fresh drinking water, and has the ability to scale from premium ready-to-drink bottled and canned water to commercial and large-scale industrial uses. The company’s air-to-water bottling facilities in the UAE are capable of producing 100,000 liters of clean water a day, and a Miami-based facility to serve the U.S. market is in development and targeted to be in production next year.
“Picture a huge dehumidifier, but instead of throwing the water away, we’re disinfecting it, mineralizing it, and converting it to pure drinking water,” Carr tells SND. “There are two categories that are growing right now, non-alcohol and RTD. This is in both of those. Our first focus in the U.S. will be the high-end bottled water business for hotels, restaurants, and bars.”
In UAE, A1rwater is already working with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Accor Group, and Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The idea is to extend that business to the U.S. with water packaged in recycled glass, eliminating single-use plastic bottles from the supply chain. The company is currently in the process of developing its global water brand, and will also explore private label opportunities.
On the bottled and canned water side, Carr sees the opportunity for A1rwater to compete with brands like Liquid Death, currently valued around $1.3 billion. “We can change the alkalinity, the pH level, the hydration, add flavors, and so on to create different verticals,” he says.
Beyond the hospitality business, Carr says the company’s air-to-water generators have industrial and commercial applications, such as for irrigation and cooling AI equipment, among others. In addition to reducing plastic waste, the generators can also reduce companies’ reliance on infrastructure by generating clean water on-site at scale, he notes.
Carr sat on A1rwater’s board for a year and half before accepting an executive role with the group, and says those skeptical about the concept will be won over in the end. “When I went to Abu Dhabi and watched the water being produced from the atmosphere and being bottled and then drank it, I was completely sold,” he says. “Why wouldn’t any mother, father, consumer not want to make a difference in the world and pick up a bottle of atmospheric water knowing it’s not pulling from the rivers or the reservoirs?
“In the U.S.,” he continues, “it’s very much about health and wellness. If you go on TikTok, they just kill water companies in terms of the discussion about microplastics in products. But in other parts of the world it’s truly about conserving the water supply as well. Once people understand what it is, they’re going to be willing to pay more for it.”—Daniel Marsteller
Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.Tagged : A1rwater
