Waiakea Hot Streak Continues as Sustainable Hawaiian Volcanic Water-Maker Lands on Inc. 5000 List

With a progressive, triple-bottom-line business model rooted in healthy, eco-friendly and ethical initiatives, combined with an award-winning taste and alkaline mineral profile, Waiakea is already a dynamic player among American beverage manufacturers with its Hawaiian Volcanic Water.

For the third year in a row, Waiakea is also one of the fastest-growing as it earned the No. 1331 spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies. Waiakea was one of 128 food and beverage companies to make the annual list published by Inc. magazine.

Waiakea joined Grovara’s curated B2B international e-commerce marketplace in the fall of 2019, and will be distributed overseas in 2020.

“We knew we were bringing an industry leader into our B2B international marketplace when Waiakea went global with Grovara,” says Peter Groverman, CEO/co-founder of Grovara. “They represent the very best of our industry.”

Waiakea’s sustainability practices make it an industry force. The company’s bottling facility gets 33% of its energy from renewable sources, and Waiakea’s manufacturing process reduces carbon emitted from its BPA-free bottles by 90%. Waiakea was the first beverage company in the U.S. to use 100% RPET bottles and earn Carbon Neutral certification.

In September, Waiakea rolled out its “Pahu Nunui” 15-liter Bag-in-Box, a 100% recyclable container that reduces packaging by 66% and carbon emissions by 97%. The box provides more volume with reduced environmental impact, and Waiakea offers customers an upcycling service to return the box and bag.

Waiakea has always been on the fast track. It was founded in 2012 by 22 year-old Ryan Emmons and grew 4,000% through its first three years. The company’s water is sourced from snowmelt and rain on the snow-capped peak of the active Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, one of the most pure environments on the planet.