If you’re a fan of drinking bottled water, then your attention may have turned to Acqua Panna.
It’s often the first choice in high-end restaurants and at other establishments that want to serve high-quality water.
When buying Acqua Panna, you may find yourself surprised at the expensive price.
You may not even realize how expensive the price of water can climb.
Here are 10 reasons Acqua Panna is so expensive.
Why Is Acqua Panna So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)
1. Royal History
Acqua Panna comes from Tuscany.
The lavish and beautiful countryside was also home to the Medici family.
In both Italian and world history, the Medici family played an integral role.
They’re responsible for some of the finest artists in the world.
They also played an integral role in Italy’s history and politics.
The family owned the part of Tuscany where the natural spring comes from.
They often used it as a clean drinking source when the other streams and springs in Italy were undrinkable.
They were often polluted by animal and human waste.
The natural spring used by the Medici has a history of being clean, clear, and has minerals in it.
It’s the history of the natural spring that adds to the expense of the water.
Not every natural spring can say it once nourished prominent people in history.
Since this particular natural spring can, Acqua Panna leans on its history to sell itself as a premium bottled water product.
The Medici equate to luxury, wealth, and power.
The company can sell the idea that if you drink the same water that they once did, you can share in their luxury, wealth, and power, too.
Thanks to its history and connection with the Medici family, Acqua Panna carries an expensive price.
2. Located In Tuscany
Acqua Panna is expensive because the natural spring comes from Tuscany.
The countryside of Tuscany has a history of luxurious and premium vineyards and other farmlands.
Since it’s wine country, it has a reputation for luxurious brands.
That helps Acqua Panna market itself as a luxurious bottled water brand.
Since it’s based in Tuscany, many can easily assume that it’s on par with some of the best wines in the world.
The beautiful countryside helps sell the bottled water as something that is lavish.
When you drink it, you’re not only drinking water; you’re drinking water from Tuscany.
It’s a sort of status symbol based on its origin alone.
When certain high-quality commodities like leather and food come from Italy, the country starts to gain a reputation for producing lavish and premium goods.
That extends to bottled water.
The fact that the natural spring comes from Tuscany rather than Chicago makes it more expensive.
3. Flavor
Many people choose to buy Acqua Panna because of its flavor.
It’s said to have a clear flavor that tastes what “cold” should taste like.
The refreshing water’s flavor is expensive because you can’t get the flavor anywhere else.
That’s due to the fact that it comes from a single natural spring in Tuscany.
Only that spring will produce that type of flavor.
The spring’s history with the Medici family also plays into its premium flavor.
They would have the water brought to them in Florence despite the distance because they enjoyed it so much.
Acqua Panna can market itself saying that the Medici family clearly loved the water enough that they spent a lot of money on labor to have it delivered to them.
You can’t get that sort of flavor anywhere else.
People are willing to pay extra to drink the same flavored water that the Medici once drank.
Since it’s unique, it comes at a premium price.
You can buy cheap water anywhere, but you can only buy the flavor that comes with the water from Acqua Panna from that specific source.
Its uniqueness drives up the price.
4. Natural Spring Scarcity
Bottled water typically comes from a natural spring source.
A natural spring is a replenishing spring of water found somewhere in the world.
They’re highly prized because they’re often pure and unpolluted.
Natural springs that exist far from civilization are the most prized for their purity.
Because fresh water is both abundant and scarce at the same time, it drives up the price of any bottled water that comes from it.
There is a lot of fresh water in the world, but only in certain locations.
Areas like Africa, for example, only see a small amount of fresh water in certain parts of the continent all year.
In Brazil, it rains often, and they have a large supply of fresh water.
In other areas, fresh water is drying up.
Arizona and Colorado, for example, are both facing water problems.
Their rivers aren’t replenishing like they used to.
The consequences of a society without access to fresh water are severe.
This makes natural springs expensive, too.
There are many in the world if one can find them, but not all of them are replenishable.
When used up to make bottled water, like Acqua Panna, there’s always a risk of running the natural spring dry.
Water has to come from somewhere, and if you’re taking water out of the system, then there’s not going to be enough to replenish its source.
Eventually, the Acqua Panna natural spring may dry up, too.
Because the Acqua Panna brand only takes its water from a single natural source, it’s unique.
It’s scarce.
That scarcity allows the company to drive up the price of bottled water.
You’re drinking from a limited supply of water.
It may be a hundred or a thousand years before the natural spring dries up, but it’s still something that has a limitation.
Marketing further sells the idea that you’re drinking from a rare water source.
Since it’s rare, the price for it can be high, and consumers will agree to pay the price.
5. Fine Dining Pairing
You may not think that bottled water pairs with wine and fine dining, but Acqua Panna wants you to think it does.
On the company’s website, you’ll find several topics related to pairing the bottled water with various recipes and wines.
Because it’s marketed as something that belongs on a fine dining table, it’s also priced as such.
A customer wouldn’t expect a fine dining product to be cheap.
They expect a higher price.
The company also claims that the clear and cold flavor of Acqua Panna is what makes it ideal for fine dining.
It helps refresh the mouth and cleanse it of flavor.
This allows the diner to move on to the next course with a fresh palate.
Those who also want to drink wine but not experience its tipsy consequences will often drink water with their wine.
However, they don’t want the water to have too strong of a flavor—or the wrong flavor entirely—to upset the experience of drinking the wine.
That’s also why drinking Acqua Panna is ideal.
Its cool and clear flavor keeps your senses alert without washing away the flavor of the wine completely.
If you want something to cleanse your palate for each fine dining course, then Acqua Panna wants to help.
Because it’s billed as something for your fine dining experience, you can expect it to carry the fine dining price tag.
6. On Par With Wine
The marketing that surrounds Acqua Panna wants you to treat it like a wine.
They suggest that you follow the procedures outlined by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale to taste and sample the water like you would with wine.
To taste your water, the first step is to take a small sample.
During this sample, you’ll want to use your tongue to experience the freshness of its flavor.
Assess it based on past experiences with other types of water.
The next step is to perform a visual examination.
Use a clear glass and pour the water into it to examine it for impurities.
Acqua Panna is crystal clear water.
The next step is to use your sense of smell.
Bring the glass to your nose and breath in the aroma of the water.
Every water has its own natural scent.
Acqua Panna is no different.
The final step is to take another sample in your mouth.
Instead of assessing the freshness, you’re going to observe the acidity, structure, and sapidity of the water.
It’s essentially an examination of how the water feels and settles in your mouth.
This is the same process by which someone tastes and examines wine.
Since Acqua Panna is being given the same treatment, many think of drinking Acqua Panna as the same as drinking a glass of fine wine.
It’s held to a different standard than other bottles of water.
That refinement and luxury add to its price.
You don’t pay cheap prices for a great bottle of wine.
Acqua Panna wants you to pay an expensive price for their bottled water since it’s basically on par with wine, too.
7. High-End Restaurants
Another factor that adds to the price of Acqua Panna is that it’s served in high-end restaurants.
Many high-end restaurants in New York and Los Angeles choose to serve Acqua Panna because of its clear taste and history.
Since it’s considered a luxury water brand, they want to ensure that their guests are receiving the best quality of water, too.
When guests eat at high-end restaurants, they expect a luxurious experience.
Everything from the service to the food needs to be top quality.
That includes the water.
Guests will be able to tell the difference between tap water and imported water.
It also gives the restaurant bragging rights.
They can advertise that they import their drinking water from Tuscany.
It makes the experience at the restaurant even more exclusive and memorable.
Since high-end restaurants use Acqua Panna, the company can get away with selling it at a high price.
It can point to the fact that these restaurants use the water.
This legitimizes its claim that it’s a luxury bottle of water and is worth the extra price.
8. Status Symbol
Like any luxurious product, people will buy more for it because it’s a status symbol.
Drinking Acqua Panna puts you in an elite class.
Anyone can drink water, but few can drink Acqua Panna water.
Because it’s a status symbol, it comes with an expensive price.
It’s designed for a specific group of people who only buy the best for themselves.
That includes their bottled water.
9. Shipping Costs
Since Acqua Panna comes from Italy, it’s an import in the United States.
That automatically increases its price.
That’s because companies have to pay taxes in the form of tariffs on imported goods.
Some countries have to pay higher taxes than others to export their goods to the United States.
It also depends on the good, itself.
If it’s heavy or hazardous and requires more sophisticated shipping containers, then it’s going to cost more to import.
In the case of bottled water, it doesn’t require sophisticated shipping containers.
At most, they may use some form of refrigeration to keep the water cool.
In most cases, they’ll allow the bottled water to stay at room temperature.
Regardless, they still need to pay taxes when exporting their goods to the United States.
To cover the cost of sending their products to the United States, the company increases the price.
In this way, they don’t lose out on much profit because of international trading.
10. Alliance For Water Stewardship Certification
In a growing effort to be more sustainable, Acqua Panna has applied for certification with the Alliance for Water Stewardship.
This means that they’ll be changing their production processes and sourcing technology to be as sustainable as possible.
That adds considerable cost to their business efforts.
Since they have to be sure that they’re using high-quality technology in their manufacturing and sourcing, they have to invest in those machines and technologies.
That takes money.
It also means that they may produce fewer bottles of water every year to ensure their natural spring stays sustainable and renewable.
Although they haven’t received their certificate yet, they’re starting the process.
While they make the transition to greener methods, you can expect the price for Acqua Panna to rise even more.
That’s because they need extra money in their R & D funds and in other areas of the business to fund these efforts to be more sustainable.
They’ve also committed to being carbon neutral by 2022.
That means also changing many of their practices and protocols to be greener.
While their efforts will help the environment in the long run, it results in an increased price for Acqua Panna.
How To Save Money On Acqua Panna
Drinking Acqua Panna is a luxurious experience.
However, you may not want to pay the luxury price.
Here are a few ways you can save money on Acqua Panna.
1. Search For Coupons
The great thing about Acqua Panna is that there are usually coupons for it.
Take the time to look at your local stores and see if any of them are running coupons for Acqua Panna.
If not, then you can also look at online stores.
Simply doing a search on Google can help you find coupons that aren’t expired.
They’ll also direct you to the online store where you can make your purchase.
Sometimes the coupon even offers a deal like buy one and get one free.
2. Reward Cards
If you shop at a store that uses a reward card system, then you can use your rewards to bring down the price of Acqua Panna.
Bottled water usually doesn’t cost many points if you use a reward point system.
As such, you can use your rewards card a few times before running out of points.
It allows you to stock up on Acqua Panna at a cheaper price.
3. Buy In Bulk
The final way to save money on Acqua Panna is to buy it in bulk.
When you shop in bulk sizes, you’re already saving money.
Shopping at a store that offers wholesale prices on bulk items can bring the price down even further.
You could easily get away with a month or two’s supply and save a lot of money.
Conclusion
Acqua Panna is a luxury brand of bottled water.
Its history and connection to Tuscany only further solidify its marketing as a luxury brand.
When you want to shop for superior water, then consider the reasons above and tips on how to save money on Acqua Panna.
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