28 May 2026 The THIRSTI Story
You may have noticed there’s one SA bottled water brand that’s suddenly everywhere – THIRSTI – in a notable slimline bottle. Your editor was recently part of a media party invited to share in its story with the SA National Bottled Water Association ( SANBWA) at its new state-of-the-art factory in the glorious Tulbagh Valley…..
Was there ever such a beautifully-sited factory? This is my first impression as our party, on a lovely autumnal afternoon, arrived at the new THIRSTI plant situated just outside the historic town.
Tulbagh sits in a deep, fertile basin at the northern end of the Tulbagh Valley, about 120 km northeast of Cape Town, and one that is almost completely enclosed by three mountain ranges that rise sharply around the valley, creating a dramatic sense of enclosure.
No wonder THIRSTI CEO, Rob Hoatson, was drawn here in search of a new opportunity to expand the family company’s thriving bottled water business based at remote Normandien, near Newcastle in KZN.
In a nutshell, some five years ago, a suitable 72ha farm with a viable spring of beautiful water was identified and purchased. After a long but small-scale trial period, Hoatson committed to a massive R300m project to build and commission a top-notch bottling plant and warehouse. It has taken well over a year to build and is still awaiting finishing touches.
But back to THIRSTI’s roots….
It began some eleven years ago when the Hoatson’s wanted to venture wider and bigger beyond their largely timber-based business. Just as bottled water was gaining more traction in SA, Rob saw this as a great opportunity, abetted by an amazing in-house resource: an abundant spring with perfect water on their Normandien farm.
One of his first contacts was Charlotte Metcalf, CEO of SANBWA. “When we started, one of my first calls was Charlotte. I went to Jo’burg for a meeting to learn how we could best produce a great product,” he says.
“There was never even a question of whether we were going to join SANBWA or not. Sure, there’s a cost to meeting rigorous production standards, but when you’re making something for human consumption, the worst thing you can do is make a potentially unsafe product – when the risk if you do is brand annihilation.
“So, being SANBWA certified has certainly opened doors for us. We supply all the major retailers, and it was key in securing our Woolworths partnership.”
An issue raised during our visit is the rise of counterfeit and uncertified water in SA. Rob warns that refilling shops — often using basic filtration on municipal water — operate without hygiene standards, certification or oversight.
He urges consumers to look for the SANBWA seal, which guarantees compliance with stringent, internationally-aligned standards.
“Producing certified spring water carries significant cost, but we won’t compromise on safety or reputation,” he adds.
Not all bottled water is created equally! At THIRSTI, we pride ourselves in bottling water with a naturally high pH level, and a large amount of naturally occurring minerals. Be sure to compare labels the next time you buy bottled water; we’re certain that THIRSTI will come out on top!
From the THIRSTI website
Hoatson chutzpah
Rob relays how, eleven years ago, with his new water plant on the farm ready to roll, he had to find some business and brazenly pitched up at Woolworths HQ in Cape Town, begging and cajoling to talk to someone about supplying it with bottled water.
“Very early on, as a four-month-old business, with no reputation or history, I banged on the door, literally, I said, ‘I’m a forester from Northern Natal, and I’d love to produce your bottled water.’ And, as luck would have it, they gave us a chance to start with but two products, 500ml still and sparkling water.
“They said to us, we build long-term relationships, and we’d love to do this with you. There was a values alignment, for sure, but for us, as a very young business, putting that level of trust in us has been a large part of our success.”
Indeed, this relationship has grown and grown. The company now manufactures more than 100 beverage SKUs for the retailer, including all Woolworths-branded water, flavoured waters, soft drinks and mixers.
This rare level of exclusivity surely places it as one of the retailer’s most strategically important beverage partnerships, built over more than a decade of consistency, technical compliance and brand alignment.
Woolies actively brings new opportunities
Rob says Woolworths “looks after their suppliers” by giving them first right of refusal on new product opportunities. This is exactly how it recently entered the spring‑water ice category.
Woolworths approached them 18 months earlier with the idea, they trialled it in a few stores, and the product performed so well that the retailer green‑lit a national rollout.
This is Woolies ice, not regular ice! It’s a differentiated spring‑water ice via Italian technology which makes it crystal clear; and it’s packaged in a robust resealable bag, unique in SA.
Ambient water for the ice is tankered up from Normandien to a new dedicated plant in Midrand that’s sited close to the Woolworths distribution centre. You’ll find it now in giant box freezers that are prominent in-store.
The ice story is already a big hit, Rob relays, and an example of how jumping at opportunities has helped grow the business.
“There’s no shortage of opportunities, but what counts is betting on the right ones.” he quips.
On the agri-processing side, through their farms and abattoirs in various parts of the country, they are also suppliers of beef and lamb to Woolworths, with the very successful beef operation having a serendipitous start.
“We weren’t in the beef business at all. We were in the forestry business. Between all your forests, you have a lot of open areas. These grasslands grow like mad in summer, and you have to burn them as firebreaks in the winter. Burning is hazardous, so about 12 or 15 years ago, we bought 100 cattle to try and manage the grass, to act as lawnmowers.
“Then we thought: well, let’s see if we can start breeding with these cattle. One cow became two, and two became four, and so the herd grew.
“A few years later, the CEO of Woolworths was with me on the farm, driving around, and said: ‘What’s going on there with all these cattle?’”
“I explained this story and he said: ‘What you call lawnmowers, we call free-range, grass-fed beef. Can we have all of your beef, please?’
“So, in trying to solve a problem with grass fires, we inadvertently got to supply Woolworths with free-range, grass-fed beef. And now our beef business is wonderful.”
On the recent fallout sagas
Rob distances his experience from the recent Beyer’s Chocolates fallout, emphasising that Woolworths’ private‑label expectations are clear and commercially reasonable.
“Woolworths is transparent from day one: if you manufacture their private label, you cannot produce private label for competing retailers because of the intellectual property embedded in Woolworths’ formulations and product development processes.
‘We agreed to this at the outset and have honoured it ever since — and Woolworths has reciprocated with loyalty and growth opportunities.”
He emphasises that Woolworths has a significant team of food technologists and that it rigorously audits and co‑manages quality standards with suppliers.
“Our ability to meet these standards consistently is a key reason the partnership endures,” he notes.
Why THIRSTI is everywhere
A decade back, bottled water was competitive and crowded and is now even more so. My key question to Rob was how and why is THIRSTI now so prominent on shelf – or am I just dreaming?
“No, you’re not,” he responds, “We’ve worked very hard and smart to be different, to stand out in a crowd and to be very visible in multiple ways.
“If you look at our bottle, it’s a unique shape, engineered with a slightly narrower diameter, and it’s slightly heavier and can be reused. So people like it – it adds to a perception of value.
“And we went with a red label while everybody else in the industry is blue; and we wrote THIRSTI vertically, not horizontally, and spelled it wrong. And it’s well-priced, not premium … overall shelf disruption.
“And then we’re driven, focused and even aggressive in our business. We want to go forward, we’ve grown it 40% a year solidly for 11 years. In total, we employ well over 3 000 across the business, with some 700 people looking after THIRSTI.
“And obviously, we’ve had to make sure that we produce the volume that the market needs, increasing our capacity to do so with massive investment in factory infrastructure, logistics, people and marketing.”
Indeed, the brand’s visibility has shone from significant investment in high-profile sponsorships, aligning with the Springboks (no longer as this now commands mega millions), the Proteas, and multiple other top and not-so-top sports teams.
“We’ve just signed the Proteas for another four years, which is fantastic, because the World Cup is coming to SA next year,” says Rob. ‘And we’re now an integral part of the Comrades Marathon,” he adds proudly.
“It’s such an incredible heritage event in South Africa, and one of the most watched. This year, for the first time, it’s on both Supersport and the SABC, so the whole nation will see it. And next year marks the centenary, an incredible milestone. This is a big one for us.”
The logistics of hydrating over 20 000 ultra marathon runners is almost as extreme as the event itself; involving thousands of water bottles, some 600 tons of water and energy sachets and ice, as well as 250 personnel to man the 48 water points over the 90 km. All the products are branded and made in a dedicated house facility.
“Our strategy has always been to rather use what we have in our hands than just to fork out cash. We love being part of these top teams and events,” says Rob.
THIRSTI brand extensions
The visit to Tulbagh also revealed these impressive new additions to the THIRSTI line-up: a very classy array of canned mixers, sugar-free flavoured waters, as well as sports drinks.
“Our brand is about health and wellness, and we want to promote a healthy lifestyle. Part of that is exercising, and with it hydration and then rehydration.
“We’ve recently relaunched that as THIRSTI Sport. It’s in a gorgeous black bottle and it’s going really, really well in the marketplace. We’re very excited about it, and we’ve had amazing feedback from all the retailers.”
And there’s more! The business is also a significant contract filler/packager, producing multiple brands for clients aside from Woolworths and optimising its factories’ output, whirring away mostly 24/7/365. And yet more… THIRSTI recently bought the lagging Monis brand from Tiger Brands and will soon be launching a contemporary iteration of this iconic name in SA fruit juices.
As Rob says, “When you’ve invested R300m in a factory, it has to work hard!”
THIRSTI also has a dedicated marketing arm that serves the informal market. “It’s massive and growing, and is now bigger than the formal trade. From wholesalers, to the spaza shops, to tuck shops, into the townships, to the street vendors. That’s where the numbers are,” he says.
“And we have a totally different approach, here, too. We have 30 different teams that go into those markets – with bright red taxis and music, fun activations. You’ve gotta take the product to the people, right? You can’t just drop it in the store and disappear.”
In terms of activation and meeting your fans and customers, Rob expands on his plans to make the Tulbagh campus an interactive space; a place people want to visit.
Soon there will be padel courts, a driving range, a deli and coffee shop, and a wedding venue (they own the adjacent lovely guest farm with dams, views, cottages and chapel) alongside its busy despatch bays, humming filling lines, the automated warehouse, steam generators, CO2 tanks, mixing plants, offices and labs etcetera!
“We’ve worked very hard in every space, and we’re 100% committed to the country and will continue to build the brand with our people in every way,” he concludes.
Cheers to the Hoatson ethos and their amazing spring water, beautiful branding and gutsy entrepreneurship. Very impressive, very inspiring!
See more here: https://www.thirsti.co.za/