A combination of South American heritage and entrepreneurial drive saw Jenny Carrasco and Justin Hickey investigate producing a more sustainable bottled water. The result is Pure Mist.
While Carrasco’s career as a dental nurse and Hickey as an IT entrepreneur do not seem the most obvious paths to own a bottled water business, winning gold and bronze medals on an international level barely a year into operations should put any doubts to bed.
It was their dissatisfaction with bottled water that drove the pair to consider making their own, which is where Carrasco’s South American heritage came into play.
“I was born in Chile in the Atacama Desert, so it was very dry. The Chilean people have developed a way of collecting water from mist,” Carrasco said.
The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world, outranking the polar deserts as well. It is also the world’s largest fog desert because the Andes’ dramatic elevation and proximity to the Pacific Ocean create ideal fog forming conditions.
People ‘harvest’ the Fog (mist) for water using mesh netting and a collection system underneath.
Hickey, a Tasmanian, knew the perfect place to try mist harvesting – the Huon Valley – about an hour south of Hobart.
The valley is a storybook level landscape – dotted with farmhouses, rolling hills, the Huon River, and home to a vibrant food and beverage industry. It is also known for the fog that sits on the river and valley floor, sometimes not even dissipating throughout the day.
“It is some of the purest air in the world. The wind comes from the Antarctic straight up the valley, following the river, we catch it when it reaches our farm,” Carrasco said.
Another serendipitous moment for the couple was when they were exploring the area there was a farm in the valley for sale.
“Our Mist Towers are a minimal touch method, capturing water drops from the thick and beautiful mist,” Carrasco said.
The towers are more than 10 metres tall and from there, the water is gravity fed into collection points around the farm. They are a spiral structure with a stacked weave to trap and wick moisture before it funnels into the bottling plant.
“When we started, we had the water tested and it came back with zero toxins and very low minerality. This purity attracted a few local distillers and brewers as some of our first customers. The minerality of water can change how other ingredients perform, so for gin making, the water is brilliant because it doesn’t impact the flavours you’re wanting in the gin.
“We hadn’t thought about making gin, but this made us think, let’s make gin as well, so we’re making gin as well,” Carrasco said.
International spotlight
As the business started to gain momentum Carrasco contacted the Fine Water Society to become a member, and they requested samples of the Pure Mist water range.
“The next thing was the society telling us we were finalists in its international Taste & Design Awards 2023 in Athens, Greece. Justin said I had to go ‘just in case’, and then we won,” she said.
Pure Mist was awarded gold for SPARKLING Super Low Minerality for its sparkling water, silver for STILL Super Low Minerality for its still water, and BRONZE for the design on its cans.
“It was amazing, we were so excited. The industry is maturing, and you can see restaurants in Europe offering you a food, wine, and water menu. Pairing water with what you’re eating is now developing. People are learning that water is not just water, it is very exciting.
“Establishing Pure Mist has been a learning experience for us; we had no idea it would take off so quickly,” Carrasco said.
The company is now exporting to China, is in talks with Canadian distributors for its waters and gin, and an airline has expressed interest in stocking Pure Mist.
“We have a distributor in Tassie who is distributing it to restaurants and boutique bottle shops,” she added.
In 2022, Pure Mist harvest 10,000 litres for still and sparkling waters, and gin. They are hoping to at least double that this year.
The pair are hoping to open a cellar door in the future and are looking at other ways to share their passion and knowledge on how to harvest the mist.
