
16 Nov 2020 New Calm on SA’s water shelves
A Cape Town-based entrepreneur has launched a new premium water onto the SA market, unusually presented in cans. Here’s Michelle Richardson’s launch journey of Calm Natural Mineral Water, told in her words.…
The idea for a mineral water in a can was born about a year ago when we decided to look at what alternative options to plastic bottles were available. This was around the same time that the international media really started to shed some light on how bad ocean pollution had become, with plastic bottles at the forefront of this disaster.
As an ocean and beach-loving family we knew that if we could contribute in a small way to reduce plastic in our oceans and on our beaches by changing the mindset then we would be one step closer to being part of the “solution and not the pollution” – and making this our Calm Water motto.
The Lockdown period gave us the time to sit down and decide if this was only ever going to be an idea or could we bring this concept to reality. We decided to go for it and started by looking for a local graphic designer who would believe in our idea, our story and be able to bring our product to life.
Creating the right brand image

We are so fortunate to have worked with Theresa from Bedinkt who has amazing knowledge of product and label design especially with regards to the beverage market.
The idea for the design was to always have a very minimalistic look and feel, to keep it clean and crisp and scream water from just one look, which we think we have achieved.
The feedback on the final product has been very positive with most customers commenting on how attractive the packaging is and, of course, the fact that we are not a plastic bottle.
We aimed to tell our story on our can highlighting the need to start moving away from plastic and how desperate Mother Nature needs us to do this. One really cool feature on the can is our customised barcode where we incorporated our dolphin and ocean wave to once again highlight our ocean focus.
Aluminium is infinitely recyclable. It is also much lighter to transport than glass which means a smaller carbon foot print. The aluminium can maintains the freshness and coolness of both our still and sparkling versions, as well as being one of the first mineral waters in an aluminium can to hit the SA market.
Sourcing and canning the water

Our mineral water is extracted directly from a natural source on a farm in the Cederberg, giving it a great fresh taste due to the natural filtration process that occurs through the layers of Cape sandstone before eventually reaching the surface.
Our Cape Town-based canning partner travels to and does the canning at source in the Cederberg Mountains – this makes the Calm Water range a truly local product.
The 330ml cans are produced, supplied and shelf life tested by Nampak.
The canning process for still water is quite complicated and we had to find a canning company with the appropriate technology required to can a still water product. This needs to be nitrogen infused during the filling process to ensure that the can does not buckle – something not required with other canned drinks as almost all canned drinks are carbonated.
Nitrogen does not have any taste or smell and therefore does not compromise the great quality and taste of our natural mineral water.
Our distribution partners cover the Western Cape, Jo’burg and KZN, giving us national exposure. The recommended retail price per can is around R14,99.
We have recently started our marketing campaign to drive awareness to the brand, with one of our initiatives to participate in a fundraising event for the Shark Spotters based in Cape Town. The Shark Spotters do an amazing role in keeping our beaches and oceans safe and we share the same goal with regards to reducing plastic on our beaches and in our oceans.
We are also increasing our social media presence – you can find us on Facebook as well as Instagram @thecalmwaterco. Email us here: [email protected]

About Michelle Richardson: Michelle comes from an advertising and FMCG background where she worked with a number of international alcohol brands.
On returning to SA from Dubai after nine years, where she ran the Arabian Gulf Rugby Union, Michelle set up a business which currently imports a number of health and vegan products from the UK which are stocked by the likes of Wellness Warehouse and Dischem pharmacies.