Refill.
Pay.
Save.
I-Drop's mission is to empower consumers with choice. Our aim is get a Waterpod next to every drinks-fridge in every grocery-store in Africa.
We began with a simple observation: if hundreds of thousands of grocery stores across Africa have a water supply, why are they selling so much bottled water at high prices and with huge single-use plastic waste? People who can afford bottled water are harming the environment and people who can't may be drinking unsafe water.
I-Drop Water is about creating choice for consumers who care and impact by thinking differently about people, business and the environment.
Why?
I-Drop began with a question: Why?
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Every minute someone dies from preventable disease caused by unsafe water or poor sanitation. Why?
Wherever there are people, there is water... in too many places its just unsafe to drink. If purification technology is advanced enough to make water safe, why are billions of people forced to either risk their health or buy single-use plastic-bottled water?
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Every minute over 1 million plastic bottles are sold around the world. Why?
If thousands of grocery stores across Africa have access to a water supply, why are single-use plastic bottles of water transported thousands of miles on trucks, ships and airplanes to sell as the only option for shoppers?
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Every minute the global bottled water industry generates about $380,000. Why?
If people around the world are are willing to pay for safe drinking water, why has business not evolved and innovated to deliver better value to a larger market?
Change & Impact
We set out in 2015 to change the drinking-water industry, starting in Africa.
People
I-Drop has sold millions of litres of safe, affordable drinking refills across sub-Saharan Africa.
At I-Drop we believe that successful businesses of the future have to put people first. We're obsessive about providing safe, affordable drinking water to people wherever they are and whatever their circumstances.
Since 2015, we've invested in proving that by using smart technology, our solutions can reach people everywhere.
Planet
Refills from Waterpods have eliminated millions of single-use plastic water bottles.
Every time a shopper refills from a Waterpod, they're making a difference.
By refilling multi-use water containers, shoppers are reducing their plastic impact. Our purification technology is highly water- and energy-efficient and by purifying water on-site at grocery stores we lower the carbon impact of water compared to delivered bottles of water.
Price
Revenue-share and lower prices mean money in local economies and real savings for shoppers.
I-Drop believes in business and that profit can drive sustainability and growth. We also believe that business has to change and evolve. Our innovative, award-winning revenue-share business model delivers drinking water refills at up to 90% less than bottled water.
There may be easier ways to make money in drinking water, but this industry has to change and I-Drop is leading this charge.
Broader reach,
great service,
lower costs.
I-Drop network technology allows us to remotely monitor and control all Waterpods in the field in real-time.
We embed a data-SIM card in bespoke electronics in each Waterpod that sends data in real time to our team. We've gathered tens of millions of data-points that help us reduce costs and optimise our business to deliver savings to our customers through lower water refill prices.
The journey so far...
The Waterpod by I-Drop is the culmination of over five years of learning and in-market product testing.
Eight African countries, millions of litres sold, hundreds of system improvements and iterations, and tens of millions of data-points gathered: the I-Drop story is about learning from and adapting to some of the toughest markets in the world.
I-Drop V1 - V2
2015
I-Drop V3
2017
Waterpod by I-Drop
2020
A winning team
I-Drop Water has been recognized around the world for our innovative business model and commitment to social entrepreneurship.
Proudly based in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, the I-Drop team brings decades of experience in large multinational companies and startup ventures.
