BRITA Vivreau, a global leader in the development and manufacture of purified drinking water systems, has been challenging and
changing the way drinking water is sourced for over 25 years, paving the way for sustainable bottled drinking water.
As pioneers of the Table Water Bottling System, BRITA Vivreau’s key products also include the Vi tap, Vi tap Plus, DDA Module and reusable Designer glass bottles.
BRITA Vivreau is the industry standard for all hospitality and catering environments from corporate headquart
ers and leading hotels to Michelin starred restaurants, and now services the needs of the world’s leading companies including approximately 75% of the top 100 UK companies and many fortune 500 companies.
In recent years, the company has diversified its product range and customer base to include care homes, independent schools and universities.
Schools and universities are under pressure to be more environmental and have less plastic on campus. The University of Indonesia compiles a GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities encompassing 62 categories, including transport, energy and climate change, waste management and education about green issues. This can implicate those universities shirking environmental responsibility. There is also a UK ‘green league’ of universities compiled by People & Planet.
Many, if not most, UK universities now provide conference facilities and catering for meetings including drinking water. The great water bottle debate has raged for many years in terms of plastic vs glass and the evidence is clear; for venues wishing to reduce waste and decrease carbon footprint as part of a CSR plan, offering reusable glass bottles in meetings instead of disposable glass/plas
tic bottles is a no-brainer. In addition, by offering chilled, filtered water from a self-service dispense point, a campus can encourage students to reuse bottles instead of buying more plastic.
Taste Manchester is The University of Manchester’s delivered hospitality service, offering refreshments, snacks, lunches, buffets, dinners and much more to any location around campus and City Centre Manchester.
Jonathan Minshull, Head of Catering Operations for Taste Manchester decided to invest in a BRITA Vivreau Table Water Bottling System for its conference facilities and a Vi tap in its new café area, Vasaio. Jonathan explains: “We were impressed with the look of the Table Water Bottling System and the Vi tap. We initially conducted a site visit with BRITA Vivreau at the BBC and I was impressed with how it looked. Initially we ordered one bottling system in University Place which is our main conference venue. We then decided to put the Vi tap in a new dedicated café area, Vasaio, for students and staff to have the benefit of a fresh filtered water system on tap.”
The University of Manchester has a very strong environmental policy, with an aim to reduce the amount of plastic on site. Installing BRITA Vivreau products has helped the University achieve this aim. Jonathan continues: “From a sustainability point of view, we’ve reduced the amount of plastic bottles that we have delivered on campus. Our deliveries, storage and recycling have all improved as a result of installing the BRITA Vivreau systems.”
The Table Water Bottling System dispenses unlimited quantities of purified filtered chilled still and sparkling water in-house. Reusable Designer glass bottles are used to serve water and can be branded with a company logo, as well as an environmental message; an excellent extension to existing branding, perfectly suited to any boardroom. Jonathan commented: “The expectation of conference delegates has increased and they now expect to be offered filtered water. Being able to offer the Table Water Bottling System as part of our conference package has been a big plus for us. We have also improved the offer for our conference delegates as the system looks more professional than the plastic bottles that we previously offered.”
BRITA Vivreau’s Vi tap is ideal for use in a self-service situation, dispensing large quantities of chilled still or sparkling water at the touch of a button. Taste Manchester installed the Vi tap in the new Vasaio café area. Jonathan explains: “The Vi tap is located in an open area with a daily footfall of around 3,000. We previously offered tap water, the Vi tap is now offered as self-service for students to be able to fill up their water bottles with chilled filtered water. It’s always working and accessible, it’s now an expectation that filtered water is on tap!”
Jonathan concludes with: “From initial contact through to installation our contact with BRITA Vivreau was very good indeed – our account manager was very professional and supportive and keen to work with us. There have been no issues with the equipment to date.”
