Our story
It started with the water.
Living in Wānaka, we're pretty lucky when it comes to water. We have fresh spring water flowing right here in town, and like plenty of locals, we started filling up our drinking water and bringing it home.
Once you've made a habit of collecting fresh spring water, going back to ordinary tap water feels like a bit of a shame.
But we quickly discovered a surprisingly mundane problem: what do you bring it home in?
Most of the containers we could find were plastic. And when you're going to the effort of collecting beautiful drinking water, storing a week's worth of it in a plastic container just didn't feel right to us.
Glass seemed like the obvious alternative, until you imagine carrying 30 litres of water in it.
So we went looking for stainless steel. Something simple. Something durable. Something that could hold enough drinking water to last the week. Something with a proper tap, so it could sit on the kitchen bench and become part of everyday life. Something that would last, keep water clean, and look good on the bench or at the campsite.
We couldn't find it. At least, not here in New Zealand.
So we decided to make it.
A simple idea, really.
The Wanaka Water Jug isn't trying to reinvent drinking water. It's a 30 litre stainless steel container with a lid and a tap. That's pretty much it.
We settled on one product and made it properly: a 30 litre stainless steel jug with a built-in tap, a clamp-lock lid, and two solid handles. Big enough for a weekend away or a family emergency supply, and easy enough to pour that the kids can help themselves.
Fill it with the water you love to drink. Bring it home. Put it on the bench. And whenever you want a glass, turn the tap.
No electronics. No complicated filtration system. No collection of plastic containers.
Just a good place to keep your water.
Why stainless steel?
We wanted a material we'd be happy to use for our own drinking water, day after day.
Plastic was exactly what we were trying to move away from. Glass is beautiful, but at this size it simply isn't practical. Stainless steel gave us what we were looking for: durable, reusable, easy to clean, and practical enough for everyday life.
- No taste, no leaching. Stainless steel doesn't flavour your water and doesn't break down in the sun.
- Built to be knocked about. It survives the back of the ute, the boat, and the shed.
- Easy to clean. A wide opening and a smooth interior mean no hidden corners.
And unlike many filtration systems, the jug doesn't change your water. If you've gone to the trouble of collecting spring water because you enjoy it as it comes, you can simply store it and drink it that way.
Of course, you don't need to live near a spring to use one. Filtered water, rainwater, bore water or simply the drinking water you prefer: wherever you get your good water, the jug gives you a simple place to keep it.
Born in Wānaka.
Wanaka Water Jugs started with a very Wānaka problem.
We had access to great water. We just needed something better to put it in.
So we made it.
We're a small, family-run business in Wānaka, at the edge of Central Otago. If you have a question about the jug, or want to see one before you buy, get in touch.