Wednesday 28 December 2016

Why you should be drinking tap water




I’m on a mission and this time it’s not about mobile apps or technology. My mission is to half the consumption of bottled water waste in the home in 10 years. This means a reduction of over 4 billion plastic bottle waste per year and about €1.2Bn in money saved in Spain alone. 

Every mission has a story and mine begins in beautiful Barcelona where I moved 10 years ago. A couple of years ago I started questioning why I and so many people buy bottled water in Spain and other Mediterranean countries. I’m from Sweden where we are used to drinking tap water and I was tired of carrying home the bottles and seeing the plastic waste build up every day. I had tried out the Brita carafe but didn’t think the taste was good enough and thought the filtering process took too long. There must be a better solution. As an entrepreneur I see opportunities with every problem and here was a huge problem to solve.

So I started researching and realised three important things:
1. The tap water in Spain is generally of very high quality but simply just tastes bad due to chlorine
2. There is great existing technology in the form of granular activated carbon to filter out chlorine from tap water
3. Plastic bottles are a huge burden on the environment and completely unnecessary for most homes


So why should you switch to tap water?

It’s healthier for you
Don’t take my word for this. The World Health Organization, water institutes around the world and doctors frequently publish reports stating that tap water is safer or as safe as bottled water for your health. Read more about the facts of tap water in my next blog..

Better for the environment
It takes about 2-3 liters of water to produce every liter of bottled water. Although PET is an improvement from previous plastics, most bottles never get recycled and end up in landfills or the oceans. Add to that transportation and it gets even worse.

Taste
Yes, the tap water in large parts of Spain and other Mediterranean countries tastes bad. However, the bad taste can easily be removed through several methods including filters, tablets and adding citrus fruits. According to several blind tests 9 out of 10 people cannot taste the difference between filtered and bottled water. And if you prefer sparkling water just buy a soda streamer or similar product.

Convenience
Unlimited fresh water from the tap whenever you need it for drinking, cooking, coffee, tea or watering of sensitive plants. With Tapp Water you get reminded whenever you need to replace the filter. And just buy a nice refillable bottle and you will have tap water with you anywhere.

Save money
The cost of tap water is usually less than 1/300 of bottled water. The cost of filtered water when taking into account the cost of the filter and replacements throughout the year is less than 1/20 of bottled water depending on the volume of consumption.







What kind of filter should I get?

The Brita carafe is the most popular water filter in Spain followed by reverse osmosis filters installed under the sink. We wanted to see if there was a simpler alternative though and after 4 years of testing and product development we launched TAPP 2 in the fall of 2018 as the first home filter focused on taste and convenience. It’s not the only product on the market but we think it’s one of the best based on cost and water quality. The filter uses the latest activated carbon block technology, works on at least 90% of all faucets and is replaced every 2-3 months. Find out more and buy from http://tappwater.co


Now the next big challenge is convincing other people to shift from bottles to tap water. This won't be easy but few missions are. I need your help. Whether you use TAPP or another filter, help reduce plastic waste and save money.



Fore more facts about drinking water see Facts and insights about tap water.

Job Opening: Online Marketing, Tapp Water

Tapp Water Job Opening, 2016-12-28, Barcelona, Spain

Role: Online Marketing Assistant

Description
We are looking for a Marketing Assistant for our start-up in stealth mode, located in Barcelona. We are developing and selling tap water filters that save money, offer convenience and have a big positive impact on the environment. The company has been founded by two successful international entrepreneurs.

Come and join us and create something big from day 1.


Main responsibilities
You will be part of the marketing team responsible for driving online sales through advertising, social, eCommerce partners (e.g. Amazon) and supporting direct retail sales through markets, retail stores, hairdressers, beauty stores, pop-up stores and other partners.
  • Create content for the website, newsletters, social media and campaigns
  • Be the expert of our customers. Learn and spread the knowledge about tap water and water filters.
  • Provide feedback to the product team about the products and marketing material

Requirements
We’re looking for a person that loves marketing, creating content and constantly optimising the content based on results and data. As with any start-up we all do a bit of everything and we learn along the way but you need to know the basic which means:
  • Experience of selling products and marketing of consumer products online
  • Writing professional website content, newsletters and blogs
  • Creating adverts and campaigns
  • Basic knowledge of design tools
  • Knowledge of marketing through Facebook, Google, Instagram and other online channels
  • Ability to quickly learn about new products and services and find the best way of selling them online
  • Culture fit: fast paced, good communicator, problem solver, self-starter, analytical
  • Native/Fluent Spanish. Advanced English

It is a plus, if you bring the following
  • Experience of sales through amazon
  • Optimisation of ecommerce websites
  • Video content creation
Benefits
Beside of basic salary, we offer
  • Be part of something that will make the world a better place
  • A real impact on company performance and growth
  • Great and friendly start-up culture and work environment
  • Possibility to work remotely from time to time

Location
Barcelona

About Tapp Water
TAPP Water is a company proving solutions to make tap water clean, tasty and good for your thirst, skin and hair. Our goal is to provide customers with clean and safe water. The filters remove about 99% of bacterial contaminants and gradients from tap water, providing fresh, clean and pure water. They also provide better tasting and better smelling water. The company based in Barcelona, Spain was started September 2015 and launched the first product in June 2016.

Contact: info@tappwater.co

Job Opening - Market & Retail Sales, Tapp Water

Tapp Water Job Opening, 2016-12-28, Barcelona, Spain

Role: Direct Sales

Description
We are looking for a sales person to join our start-up in stealth mode, located in Barcelona. Tapp Water develops and sells tap water filters that save money, offer convenience and have a big positive impact on the environment. The company has been founded by two successful international entrepreneurs.

Come and join us and create something big from day 1.

Main responsibilities
You will be responsible for sales through markets, retail stores, hairdressers, beauty stores, pop-up stores and other partners. Basically face-to-face sales.
  • Create, plan and manage direct sales in Spain and potentially later for other European markets
  • Spend at least 3-4 days per week with face to face sales in markets, retail stores, pop-up stores, finding retail partners and other direct sales activities
  • Be the expert of our customers. Learn and spread the knowledge about tap water and water filters.
  • Provide feedback to the product team about the products and marketing material
Requirements
We’re looking for a person that loves selling, talking to people and closing deals. As with any start-up we all do a bit of everything and we learn along the way but you need to know the basic which means:
  • Experience of selling consumer products in markets, street sales, retail stores, pop-up stores and more
  • Ability to quickly learn about new products and services and find the best way of selling them face to face
  • Culture fit: fast paced, good communicator, problem solver, self-starter, analytical
  • Native/Fluent Spanish. Basic English

It is a plus, if you bring the following
  • Planning and setting up market stands
  • Channel sales
  • Water knowledge product and experience
Benefits
Beside of basic salary and sales commission, we offer
  • Be part of something that will make the world a better place
  • A real impact on company performance and growth
  • Great and friendly start-up culture and work environment
  • Possibility to work remotely from time to time

Location
Barcelona, Spain

About Tapp Water
TAPP Water is a company proving solutions to make tap water clean, tasty and good for your thirst, skin and hair. Our goal is to provide customers with clean and safe water. The filters remove about 99% of bacterial contaminants and gradients from tap water, providing fresh, clean and pure water. They also provide better tasting and better smelling water. The company based in Barcelona, Spain was started September 2015 and launched the first product in June 2016.

Contact: Info@tappwater.co

Sunday 21 August 2016

The sharepreneur




Over the past 18 years I've been fortunate enough to be part of starting at least 8 companies whereof some pretty successful. I've also published well over 200 articles and blogs on behalf of myself, Golden Gekko and DMI sharing insights and learnings during this time.

This blog is my attempt to give back, share thoughts and ideas for feedback and to present some of my latest ventures. I've republished some of my older blogs and topics here as well.

Enjoy and please give me feedback.

Friday 1 July 2016

Survey of Tapp Water website

Tapp water strives to reduce plastic waste by replacing bottled water with simple to use, convenient and cost-saving water filters.

We are working on improving the conversion rate for visitors to our website. The survey is available on Survey Monkey (to be published soon) and includes the following ads and images.