Aqua Pura owners announce multi-million pound investment in Cumbria site

Improvements to the Eden Valley site include the addition of a new five-litre bottling line, upgrades to three existing lines and the installation of an automated warehouse that includes 13 robot laser guided vehicles (LGVs) which manage stock in the warehouse.

The Eden Valley site is home to one of the largest aquifers in the UK and employs around 100 people from the local area. The 30-year-old site was purchased by Roxane in 2020 from previous owner Princes.

Roxane has also purchased an additional 221 acres of land adjacent to the site in order to protect the land use above the aquifer and minimise risk of local contamination.

Aqua Pura is one of the UK’s fastest growing natural mineral water brands, with volumes growing by 65% year-on-year in 2022/23.

‘Investments enable Roxane to grow Aqua Pura brand’

Commenting on the investment, Eden Valley plant manager Nicolas Jeuland said: “We take our role as a custodian of the Cumbrian land and aquifer very seriously and this means putting strategies in place to protect the water source.​

“This goes hand-in-hand with ensuring our plant is a leader in technology and robotics, which not only makes us more efficient but also helps us attract the best talent. These dual investments will enable us to grow the business further as well as support the local economy for many more years to come​.”

The Eden Valley bottling plant produces more than 400m bottles of natural mineral water a year, and this investment will help create more capacity and enable it to deliver further growth.

Thanks to its 60-metre, fully automated production line, it now fills 64,000 bottles of water an hour and has the capacity to expand that number to meet fluctuating customer demands. Meanwhile, the introduction of 13 robots onto the factory floor has helped de-risk the brand’s fulfilment operation.

Looking ahead, Roxane is investigating the feasibility of installing solar panels at the site so that the Aqua Pura brand can be produced with 100% renewable energy.

In other news, plant-based food manufacturer THIS has announced the appointment of former Ella’s Kitchen boss Mark Cuddigan as its new CEO.​​