French consumers are very attached to bottled mineral water. And even if tap water is available to them. According to figures from the Water Information Center and the research firm Kantar in 2021, 15% of households even drink exclusively mineral water. Behaviors that induce overconsumption of plastic.
Hence the concept launched by Merci Walter who wants to play the water delivery man. “We started from an observation: containers of more than 3 liters represent only 3% of sales in e-commerce and m distribution”, notes Antoine Bouchet, the co-founder and director of the start-up based in Paris which wishes to “be the link between the consumer and the producer”. No more water packs to carry, which is also one of the arguments put forward.
The concept is simple: 10-litre cubes delivered to your home and made up of 90% cardboard. Only the pocket collecting the water is plastic. “Our system reduces by 70% plastic pollution », argues Antoine Bouchet. And to continue his demonstration: “Our cube contains 6 g/l against 21 g/l on average for a pack of six 1.5 liter bottles. »
From 7.60 euros for 10 liters
Added to this argument is the method of delivery carried out, ures the company, by better paid deliverers at suitable times (before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. for individuals). Two waters are offered for sale: Bonneval, a Savoyard water soon to be joined in mid-September by Rocheclaire, weakly mineralized and perfect for baby bottles.
On the price side: the Internet order of two cubis is displayed at 19.80 euros (delivery included within 48 hours). The prices are decreasing: the unit cost price of the 10-litre Bag-in-box varies from 7.60 euros to 9.90 euros depending on the quantity ordered (compared to 0.43 cents per liter for a pack of Evian on the Carrefour.fr website). Be careful, for your cardboard carboy to work, you will necessarily have to add the purchase of a fountain designed in France and in biosourced PLA (purchase price: 45 euros). Subscription is not compulsory.
For the moment, deliveries are possible in Paris and its close suburbs as well as in Versailles, Lille, Nantes, Rouen and Lyon. Eventually, the start-up would like to launch into other types of drinks such as milk or fruit juices.