Antrim Hills takes water to the desert

Invest Northern Irelands chief executive, Alastair Hamilton has announced that Ballyclare based Antrim Hills has won its first export business in the United Arab Emirates. Alastair Hamilton (right) is pictured with Peter Geary, Antrim Hills, and Colm Mcloughlin, Dubai Duty Free.

The contract with Dubai Duty Free, was announced as part of a visit programme to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Speaking at the official launch of the ‘Water Within’ range in Dubai airport, Alastair Hamilton said: “This is a very important contract for this family owned business and will see the Water Within range on the shelves of one of the leading airport retailers in the world.

“The company was first introduced to Dubai Duty Free by Invest NI at Gulfood in 2014 and Water Within is now the only water brand from Northern Ireland available in this market.

“Relationships are a very strong part of the Middle East culture and Antrim Hills has invested a lot of time to develop these and win this significant business. This new contract is a further example of the scale of business opportunities in the UAE for Northern Ireland companies prepared to invest in growth in international markets and puts this company in a strong position to secure further business in this market.”

Peter Geary, CEO of Antrim Hills, said: “Over the last number of years we have worked hard to develop our brand and communicate the uniqueness of its natural artesian source.

“Working closely with Invest NI and the in-market advice we have received from its team in Dubai has been immensely important to our business over many years. This overall support, coupled with our success in achieving highly sought-after ESMA accreditation in the form of the Emirates Quality Mark, has enabled us to gain new customers in the UAE and explore opportunities in many other international markets.

“We recognised immediately that nurturing relationships within this market would be key to our success. Over the course of many visits to Dubai, we have developed a special relationship with our distributor and look forward to building upon it to deliver this immensely important contract.”