Svalbarði, a luxurious drinking water that is sustainably gathered from icebergs far above the Arctic Circle, is set to make its entrance to the luxury market of Monaco. The pure drinking water will make its debut in Monaco at an exclusive Boucheron event on Thursday, March 2, which will be hosted by Club Vivanova.
During a presentation on fine jewellery and luxury watches at the Boucheron boutique in Les Pavillons de Monte-Carlo, above the Hotel de Paris, a representative of Svalbarði will be in attendance to discuss the unique drinking water. Served alongside a Louis Roederer champagne aperitif, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water will be offered to guests in Baccarat crystal glasses that will be provided by Sabrina Monte Carlo.
In 2013, Norwegian-American Jamal Qureshi collected melted water as a gift for his wife while travelling in the Norwegian island territory of Svalbard – one of Europe’s last great wildernesses. The pure water would make for a delicious cup of tea, he thought. Four years later, his whimsical notion has been transformed into an epicurean product.
With approval from the Governor of Svalbard, Mr Qureshi charters an icebreaker – the Ulla Rinman – and seeks out the purest of icebergs, as fresh as the day it fell as snow up to 4,000 years ago, in Kongsfjorden, just 1,000km from the North Pole at 79° north. Some 15 tonnes of this ice is gathered by the Svalbarði crew and is then gently melted in a specially constructed machine and bottled by hand, capturing the water in its purest form. In order to retain the water’s natural composition and premium taste, no chemistry-altering filters are used, only micron filters and UV light to adhere to international standards. Each expedition yields 13,000 bottles; each batch is therefore a limited edition.