Going beyond supplying water, MonViso’s managing director Stefano Iorini emphasises the value and importance of community outreach
Briefly tell our readers about your company
MonViso Italian Mineral Water is a brand with a heart. Our CSR and sustainability programmes donate to Al Jalila Foundation, which supports the global cause of transforming lives through medical education and research.
Sourced from Europe’s highest spring (2,042m), MonViso is the minimally mineralised water with one of the lowest sodium levels in the world, only 0.33 mg/L. Born in the heart of Italy’s Monviso mountain, it is pure at origin and bottled at source and its unique composition gives it health benefits that make it perfect for everyone.
We Hydrate! We Donate! We Recycle!
How long has MonViso Water been available in this region?
MonViso started its activation in the competitive water market in UAE in 2015. Depending on your preferences, you can opt for still or sparkling. The available packaging is in 330 ml, 500 ml, 1 litre and 1.5 litres plastic bottles. From the end of 2017, MonViso has also been available in 375 ml and 750 ml glass versions.
How important is the Middle East market for MonViso?
Middle East is the most important market for us. Currently, MonViso can be purchased only in the UAE and Bahrain.
The water has one of the lowest sodium contents in the world; can you share some of the health benefits associated with this?
With only 0.33 mg per litre, MonViso has one of the lowest levels of sodium in the world. Depending on your lifestyle, if it’s an active one or a sedentary one, your sodium requirements are different. Nevertheless, as sodium can be found in almost all canned, processed and frozen foods, it is better to try to reduce your daily intake as much as possible. The low sodium content is important to prevent water retention and cleanse the kidneys.
CSR has been an important element for your work in the UAE, the partnership with Al Jalila comes to mind. Can you elaborate on why working on community initiatives is essential for you?
The “Take Water. Give Life” initiative is truly the core of our activity, as we strongly believe it is important to give back to the community. We decided to associate with Al Jalila Foundation to have an impact on present and future lives of children through education and medical research. Our concept is easy: for every litre sold through dedicated partners, we donate AED 1. So far we have donated more than 384,000 litres. We are grateful to all the clients and business partners that selected MonViso as their water of choice. They made the choice to do a good deed.
What’s next for MonViso in this region?
MonViso is also an eco- conscious company. We will soon start a campaign to encourage all MonViso customers to pledge to recycle. We will collect empty MonViso plastic or glass bottles from their doorstep for free.
Moreover, we plan to give the plastic a second life through “Take Water. Give Life” merchandise. In collaboration with Dgrade, the collected empty plastic bottles will be transformed into fibre and then converted to t-shirts, caps, string bags, and other products.
We expect that in two or three months the “Take Water. Give Life” merchandise will be available for purchase. As we continue to give back to the environment and community, all the net proceedings from the sales will be directed to Al Jalila Foundation.
