"Nestle Waters Direct comes seven years after we acquired Danone Springs. It is evidence of our strong commitment to the sector."

Raanan Zilberman

Eden Springs’ CEO

October 14, 2014

Raanan Zilberman, Eden Springs’ CEO following Nestle Waters Direct acquisitions, September 2014

  • WE

    How do you see this change in the cooler landscape affecting the water cooler market in Europe?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    The Nestle Waters Direct acquisition is important to us and comes seven years after we acquired Danone Springs. It is evidence of our strong commitment to the sector. Service excellence, product innovation and enhanced product offering will follow. We believe that the industry needs investment to upscale its offering and that with the new scale, Eden will have the resources to do this.

  • WE

    Are Eden considering further acquisitions in the water cooler market and/or the coffee market?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    Growth and expansion are in the company’s DNA, therefore we will continue to explore all options to realize this. In 2014, we have increased investments in sales and marketing and will continue to invest in 2015. In regards to further acquisitions, whenever we will identify good opportunities in relevant territories and with the correct product offering, we will seriously consider acting on them.

  • WE

    Will Eden roll out their coffee offering to the acquired Nestle Waters Direct customer base?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    The acquisition of Nestlé Waters Direct is an additional important milestone in realizing Eden’s vision is “to be every European workplace’s favourite water and coffee service provider”. The new markets that come with the acquisition offer a good potential for Eden’s one-stop shop offering of water & coffee. We will certainly do our best to offer an extended service portfolio to the benefit of our new customer base.

  • WE

    After Poland and Russia does Eden have any plans to expand further in Eastern Europe? If so what would be their focus?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    The Eastern European region is an exciting market opportunity for any business that offers a branded, service-driven solution to workplaces. Eden has been present in Poland and the Baltics for a decade. We are now very excited to add Russia to our Eastern European presence and we will continue to explore further expansion into new geographies.

  • WE

    What are the medium-term goals and objectives for Eden Springs and their investors, Rhone Capital?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    Our immediate focus will clearly be on the integration of our new NWD acquisitions into the Eden organisation. We expect that the integration will take several months to complete but we are excited as we are welcoming a very professional and very competent group of employees and managers from Nestle. At the same time, we will continue to invest in and focus on, organic growth initiatives in all our markets. Our office coffee solutions business is significantly larger than a year ago and we have plans to continue to develop it.

  • WE

    What are the main opportunities in the newly acquired Russian territories?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    We see Russia as a real “diamond” that comes with the NWD acquisition. Russian consumers prefer to drink spring water and are good coffee consumers as well. Furthermore there is a solid demand for home water delivery services, and we plan to continue to develop that segment based on the good work that has been done until now and our vast experience in the home market in other Eden markets. Backed by strong economic development, and a good team on the ground, we are positive that growth will continue for us in Russia.

  • WE

    How do Eden Springs see the developing POU market across Europe, and do you see POU as a threat or an opportunity?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    POU is an integral part of our water service offering. Already several years ago, we stopped giving customers direction regarding what to drink in the office. Instead, we listen carefully to their needs and are happy to provide all three office water format options: HOD, POU, and PET. Visiting customers and speaking to office staff, I can still see a strong employee preference for mineral water. However, for many good reasons, the POU market will continue to expand alongside moderate growth in the water cooler segment.

  • WE

    How do Eden see the consequences of having one large player on existing suppliers of the water cooler industry? Will suppliers still be triggered to innovate?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    Absolutely! Eden may be the largest provider of water coolers to the European market, but we passionately encourage a vibrant, competitive and innovative market! Actually we believe that our enhanced resources and increased stake will allow us to boost investment and lead innovation. See as a good examples the Home Soda unit that we are distributing, the Mini HOD that we have launched as well as our extended coffee offering. We know that the customer has a wide range of choice for its office water and coffee solutions, and we will continue and develop the market together with other stakeholders.

  • WE

    What next for Eden Springs?

  • Raanan Zilberman

    With one million water cooler and coffee machines within our customer base, Eden is hitting both a record and a remarkable milestone. Over the years, we have proven that we think and we act like entrepreneurs. We will continue to grow the business, enter new geographies, expand product offering and continue to perfect our service. We will see Eden develop its vision to become every European workplace’s favourite water and coffee service provider, delivering maximum value to both customers and stakeholders.

Past interviews