Entrepreneur cashes in by selling New Yorkers their city's tap water - bottled

Entrepreneur cashes in by selling New Yorkers their city's tap water - bottled

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:50 PM on 25th February 2009


Tap'd out: An entrepreneur is selling New Yorkers their own city's water - but bottled

An entrepreneur has come up with a novel way of making money out of thirsty New Yorkers - bottle the city's tap water and sell it back to them at a premium.

While other tap-sourced products may try and hide their humble origins under exotic titles, the latest product on the market is unabashed about where it comes from, proudly calling itself Tap'd NY.

In a further twist, the man behind the idea has told potential customers not to buy bottled water at all if they can get it free from a tap or a drinking fountain.

Craig Zucker came up with the idea to sell bottled New York water during a warm evening in 2007.

The 29-year-old said: "It was created in response to bottled water coming to the USA from very far away - Fiji, India. New York has this taste-test winning water on tap.

'The notion of water travelling when you can get it here, tasting good if not better, doesn't make a lot of sense.'

Selling purified tap water is nothing new. Coca-Cola's Dasani - a flop in the UK but still selling in the states - was 'exposed' as coming from the tap.

But Tap'd NY makes no excuses over what it is.

A manifesto for the product claims: 'We won't peddle some mystical, fanciful story, but rather help spread an idea that might be surprising to hear from us: Drink tap water whenever and wherever possible.'

As such, Tap'd NY is marketing itself as an anti-bottled-water, bottled water.

'If you have access to tap water you should use it. But unfortunately there is not enough water fountains in New York,' Mr Zucker said.

He admitted it can be a hard sell to potential investors.

'It kinda is,' the entrepreneur said, adding: 'The first time people hear it they either get it right away or it needs a lot explaining before they say "hey, that makes sense".'

The water - which is bottled by Mr Zucker and his business partner Jon Flax in a Brooklyn warehouse - sells at $1.50 (£1).

According to the man behind the firm, five months after launching the product, Tap'd NY is selling well.

So well in fact that the firm is looking to expand to market locally-sourced water in other cities across the US and further afield.

Plans are afoot for versions in Stockholm, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles.
And Tap'd UK may also be in the pipeline.

Mr Zucker said: 'I think London would be a great, we are looking into it - it is one of the first places we want to go.'

'But I'm not sure how people in London think about their water. In New York, people are very proud of it.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1155605/Entrepreneur-cashes-selling-New-Yorkers-citys-tap-water--bottled.html