With the slogan “Till the End of Purity”, Saigon Pure Water Co., Ltd (Sapuwa) is the first company to produce and trade in pure bottled water in Vietnam, using ozone sterilisation technology (O₃). In the production process, Sapuwa always focuses on investment and application of advanced international technology and equipment.

In the early 90s, the market of mineral water and pure drinking water in Vietnam was left open and did not attract investment from domestic businesses. Meanwhile, consumers still used imported mineral water of renowned international brands with very high prices. Because of this situation, businessman Le Nhu Ai decided to create his own mineral water brand for the domestic market to meet the demand of clean drinking water and ensure the health of consumers.
 

After extensive research, right when the market mechanism opened, Le Nhu Ai established Sapuwa Company in 1990. Realising that Go Vap District of Ho Chi Minh City had an ideal water resource for the production of pure water, he built the Sapuwa Factory in an area of over 3,000m² in the district. The factory has been equipped with modern machinery imported from the United States, including automatic production equipment and an ultra-filtration system. The company has also used the automatic PET bottle technology, an advanced technology system, and the water sanitisation technique with O₃. This type of gas is generated from nature and has the purpose of purifying, disinfecting and sanitising the water, leaving no toxicity in the product and doing no harm to the environment after the process. Based on “Clean People” and “Clean Workshop”, the company always strictly implements the process of controlling all production steps. The distribution of products to customers has been strictly implemented and managers and employees have been professionally trained to meet the requirements of “clean products”.

It may be said that Sapuwa Company is a leading drinks business in Vietnam to approach international standards to meet the requirements on food hygiene and safety of the large markets around the world. Its products are now available in places where food hygiene and safety is a necessity, such as airlines, oil companies, banks, hospitals and hotels at home and abroad, as well as important conferences and foreign diplomatic missions in Vietnam. Sapuwa has become the first and only brand in Vietnam in the field of bottled water to be granted the international certificate on “Food with Quality and Safety” from 2002 to 2013. This is the standard stipulating strict requirements to ensure absolute safety and hygiene in food processing granted by SGS (Switzerland). Reportedly, in 2014 Sapuwa continues to improve its production and trade management systems by shifting to the certification of a food safety management system according to ISO 22000 / HACCP.

The production line of pure water of Sapuwa. The company strictly supervises all stages in the production of pure water. General Director of Sapuwa Le Nhu Vu checks the production line of pure water. Sapuwa imports advanced production lines from foreign countries. Laboratory of Sapuwa. Facility storage for bottled pure water of Sapuwa. Checking products before selling them.

According to Le Nhu Vu, General Director of Sapuwa Company, the sustainable development of the company’s brand has been proven by the index of profits and the steady revenue growth of over 20% a year. Importantly, since its establishment, the company has given attention to the protection and enhancement of consumer’s health, as well as the implementation of a thorough customer care regime. In addition, it has made great efforts to increase the quality of products, invest in modern technology and associate benefits of products with a community responsibility in protecting the environment.

In fact, with the products whose quality and designs have been constantly improved, Sapuwa has continually affirmed its position and accounts for over 25% of the market share of bottled water in the country and 40% of the market share in Ho Chi Minh City. To facilitate the sales activities to timely meet customer’s demand, the company has established its distribution systems throughout the country. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, the company has distribution centres to provide products directly to the customers, such as in Go Vap, Binh Thanh and Phu My Hung (District 7). It has over 20 vehicles and a contingent of transport workers to deliver the products to customers, free of charge.