The classic water cooler is giving way to multitasking machines that deliver still, sparkling and flavored beverages with a fraction of the traditional footprint. Water dispensers like Bevi and Vivreau systems serve up fresh, filtered beverages customized to the user’s taste while eliminating plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
“We’re not tree huggers, we’re coral reef huggers,” jokes Davin Wickstrom, business development manager for Vivreau. “One of our foundation goals is to eradicate plastic bottles from oceans and waterways, plus the man hours used to stock plastic bottles and the trucks to bring them.”
Listen to Valerie Dennis Craven chat for a few minutes with Davin Wickstrom:
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Sparkling and flavor taps appeal to younger generations who grew up with drinks like LaCroix, Wickstrom explains. Vivreau is currently beta-testing flavors, while Bevi offers a choice of four at a time from a menu of 15, from unsweetened options like lemon, pear and cucumber to sweetened ones like watermelon and blackberry-lime.
Some models, like Vivreau’s ViTap, can also dispense hot water to appeal to tea drinkers. Pair them with reusable water bottles with your logo for a branding opportunity that showcases your sustainability commitment.
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The small footprint of units like these make them ideal for office breakrooms, airport lounges and any setting with limited counter space.
Even the larger units, like Vivreau’s high-volume bottler for conference centers, meeting facilities and hotels, install easily under the counter with a space-saving tap on top.
Both Bevi and Vivreau hook up to the existing water line and tuck the chiller, carbonator, CO2 tank and other components away inside a cabinet or, in the case of Bevi’s floor-standing product, a 2- by 2-foot unit about the size of a smaller home refrigerator.
“Counter space in corporate campuses is real estate,” Wickstrom explains. “Now you’re not taking up a huge portion of people’s breakrooms. We also know that hydration leads to better cognitive ability and you sleep better. Water is lifeblood, and we’re passionate about that.”
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