Nestle Waters becomes BlueTriton
STAMFORD — Nestle Waters North America, the Stamford-based company that was sold last week for $4.3 billion, announced this week it had changed its name to BlueTriton Brands.
Triton refers to a god of the sea in Greek mythology, while the blue represents water, according to company officials.
“The new name reflects the company’s role as a guardian of sustainable resources and a provider of fresh water,” the company said in a statement. “Moreover, BlueTriton signifies the company’s continued commitment as an independent business to sustainability and high-quality products and services.”
BlueTriton officials said that in the coming months they would announce additional branding changes including a new corporate logo, website and social-media channels.
Their announcement did not mention whether the firm might change the name of Poland Spring, its bottled-water brand for the New England region, or any of its other brands.
On March 31, investment firms One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. announced that they had completed the acquisition of Nestle Waters from Nestle — a deal originally announced on Feb. 17.
“The company has an established reputation as a top provider of water and hydration
that is favored by consumers across North America,” One Rock Managing Partner Tony Lee said in a statement. “We see significant opportunity to further the market leadership of BlueTriton and look forward to building on the strong foundation that exists in the business today.”
In a related move, Dean Metropoulos,
founder of his familyowned investment firm, has become Nestle Waters’ chairman and interim CEO. He has 40 years of experience operating and investing in food and beverage brands.
“I am very excited to join with my One Rock partners and lead this company as we begin a new chapter together as BlueTriton, building on the rich heritage of our historic, iconic and beloved brands,” Metropoulos said in a statement. “We have all become increasingly aware of how critical our products and their rapidly evolving innovations are to human wellness and our communities.”
As one of the largest beverage companies in North America, the BlueTriton portfolio includes Poland Spring and other regional bottled-water brands including Deer Park, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills and Arrowhead, as well as the Pure Life and Splash lines. Nestle’s international premium-water brands Perrier, S.Pellegrino
and Acqua Panna were not included in the sale.
The company ranked as the 13th-largest employer in Stamford, with 610 local employees, in the third quarter of 2020, according to the Stamford Office of Economic Development. The company’s main offices are at 900 Long Ridge Road.
“At this time, we are unaware of any expected changes in regard to where we operate today,” a company spokesperson told Hearst Connecticut
Media in February. “We will be operating largely business as usual.”
BlueTriton employs about 7,000 in the U.S., and more than 230 in Canada.
It runs 27 production facilities across North America and operates the direct-to-consumer and office beverage-delivery service ReadyRefresh.
pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; Twitter: @paulschott