THIRSTY WITH PASSION
Remember those times? A story of three friends who created their own spring water product, Was it crazy glasses or love for life and indulgence that connected the guys. Tomi Grönfors and Ville Hvitfelt investigate what it feels like to be thirsty with passion.
Tomi Grönfors: Remember how the idea struck us? 
Ville Hvitfelt: Oh yes.. We were sitting in the sauna on November 22nd wondering why Finnish spring water can’t be found in any Finnish restaurants. They only serve imported brands. And then later on you met that friend of yours who helped us start up.
TG: And Antti was in immediately the following Wednesday. By the way, are you happy with the outcome?
VH: Very much so. I never thought it would take all that work, but as I’ve said so many times: I am going to buy the first bottle myself!
TG: What’s been the worst/ best memory in creating VEEN?
VH: I remember it very clearly. You were sitting in that armchair nearly crying over the expenses. I was staring at my Excel sheet and thinking: “there’s no point in this with these expenses. But I want to do it anyway.” Luckily we found a nice solution. Luckily.
VH: I guess both of us felt that Antti’s designs were pretty wild at times. I remember seeing the first Wave bottle. I was left speechless. They were wild and amazing. Remember sitting at my place and going through the sketches?
TG: Absolutely. And you should have been there when we presented them to the factory. They were trying not to laugh. The first versions included such sharp edges that you couldn’t produce them even out of plastic. I never thought it would take 200 sketches and all those models. At times I almost lost faith. On the other hand, the end result is all that counts and that’s work of a pro.
VH: I still have dreams of the starting times. I was still at my old job and you were sorting out the chaos. You had to spend all day every day on the phone. The support that we got from everyone who we presented the idea to helped us deal with the difficulties. Do you still think about your first sales opportunity, the time when you weren’t at all interested whether you would sell the product. You just wanted them to fall in love with it.
TG: It does cross my mind at times. We did close the first deal.
VH: How about the main motivator? It still makes me laugh..
TG: Oh you mean that now we’ll show the Swedes.. I remember it well! I was walking in circles in your living room and blabbing on. I almost lost my voice. McDaddy becoming McExcitement. At Christmas dinner I told my Mom and her fiancé, that next Christmas we’ll be enjoying VEEN here.
VH: I was really surprised that so many people agreed with us. That water has to balance the wine. When we let people taste the water I realised just how excellent it is. They described it with words: fresh, fluent, smooth. I was also surprised about how great the differences between waters can be.
TG: Of course. Water is a solvent. It dissolves particles of nearly everything that crosses it’s path. On the other hand you can’t say whether some water is good or bad, but they surely are different. It always amuses me when it reads on some bottles that this water is ultra-pure. In fact water doesn’t necessarily even have to be “pure” because when purified, it loses minerals that are vital for us. Of course water has to be pure enough to be healthy, but there are limits to pureness as well.
VH: My vision is that within five years people will be ordering their favorite waters in restaurants. Take VEEN for example. It’s perfectly smooth to balance wine and food. The best thing about it is that it can be enjoyed at room temperature. Personally I’m not too keen on very cold or hard water.
TG: I would love to see a Finnish water revolution. One rarely thinks that our water is the best in the world. I wonder why?
VH: Don’t know. There are also differences between Finnish waters. In taste and mineral content. But they are all good.
TG: But why Ville? Why?
VH: Does it sound like a cliché to say it is the passion to the water.
TG: No it doesn’t. I agree. Thirsty with Passion.
VEEN Talk interviews highlighting the connoisseurs of water. Talk the talk, walk the walk.
