Ölfus, Iceland (May 24, 2011)— Icelandic Water Holdings ehf, makers of the award-winning, CarbonNeutral® natural spring water from Iceland, Icelandic Glacial, reported today that it had formally closed its 2010 funding round raising a total of $40 million in equity from new and existing investors. The funding consisted of the conversion of $28 million of existing loans and the infusion of $12 million in new capital. As a result of the new funding and recapitalization, the company’s significant shareholder and U.S. distribution partner, Anheuser-Busch InBev has converted its debt and raised its ownership in the Company to 23.3%.
As a result of the equity issuance during 2010 and the increasing value attributed to the Company’s ownership of Iceland’s legendary Ölfus Spring, Icelandic Water Holdings’ net assets grew $42.4 million from $68.4 million at the end of 2009 to $110.8 million on December 31, 2010.
In addition, Icelandic Water Holdings reported an 86% year over year increase in global sales for the first quarter of 2011. This growth has largely been driven by increased consumer acceptance and increased availability, with significant new accounts such as the nationwide listing of Icelandic Glacial in US convenience retailer Circle K, as well as steady growth within existing landmark accounts such as Hilton Hotels and Walgreens. Icelandic Glacial also increased its global reach with new distribution through ID Foods in Canada, where sales have increased 330% year over year, a strong second year in Russia and the company’s first sales in China.
“Icelandic Glacial came of age in 2010, a time in which an ever growing number of people in the world are embracing high quality water that is pure, safe and environmentally responsible” remarked Jon Olafsson, Chairman and co-founder, Icelandic Glacial. “Growing our distribution in 2010 and into 2011 has given more people the opportunity to try our exceptional water from Iceland, and when given the choice, investors and consumers alike are choosing Icelandic Glacial.”
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About Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water™
Born and bottled in Ölfus, Iceland, Icelandic Glacial™ is the world’s first certified CarbonNeutral® natural spring bottled water for both product and operations. An environmental pioneer in the industry, Icelandic Glacial™ uses 100% natural green energy in the form of geothermal and hydroelectric power to fuel production, delivering a super-premium bottled water from pristine Iceland to consumers while maintaining a “net zero” carbon footprint.
The source of Icelandic Glacial™ is Iceland’s legendary Ölfus Spring, a naturally replenished catchment zone formed during a massive volcanic eruption more than 4,500 years ago. The Spring has been deemed certifiably sustainable by Zenith International, Europe’s leading food and drinks consultancy. The Ölfus Spring produces water so pure that nothing is added or taken away. As a result, Icelandic Glacial™ possesses exceptional balance that is the envy of the industry, featuring a naturally occurring low mineral content and naturally high alkaline pH level of 8.4.
As a testament to its exceptional purity, Icelandic Glacial™ was chosen by Parfums Christian Dior as the exclusive hydration method to be used in their Diorsnow line of skin-lightening beauty products to be released in 2012.
Icelandic Glacial™ is distributed in the United States by Anheuser-Busch, which took a 20 percent ownership stake in the company in July 2007 and subsequently increased its stake to over 23%.
For more information about Icelandic Glacial™, visit www.icelandic.staging.wpengine.com. Follow us on Twitter @ ”IcelandicWater” and Facebook @ “Icelandic Glacial Water”