HIGHLAND, Calif., October 14, 2002 -- The San Manuel Bottled Water Group, a six month old economic enterprise of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Southern California's newest bottled water - Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water - won eight International Aqua Awards including Best of Show at this years' International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) annual conference in Phoenix, Ariz. on October 10.
Of nine categories entered, San Manuel Bottled Water Group got seven first-place awards and one runner-up award from the IBWA, in addition to winning the highest accolade -- "Best of Show."
"These awards are a testimony to the tremendous success of San Manuel Bottled Water Group over the past six months," said Peter Willis, general manager of San Manuel Bottled Water Group.
"As the newest bottled water producer in Southern California, San Manuel Bottled Water Group was competing against many successful small, medium and large bottled water companies, and I am very proud to see the company win international awards in seven out of nine categories, especially the 'Best of Show' honor."
San Manuel Bottled Water Group swept all categories with the "Best of Show" win, proving a start-up company with a strong management team, years of industry expertise and a strong marketing vision can make significant strides in the bottled water industry in less than one year.
San Manuel Bottled Water Groups "Best of Show" win is unprecedented for a company producing bottled water for only six months. First-place Aqua awards were awarded to the San Manuel Bottled Water Group, all in the small company category, for the product Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water. The first-place awards were won in each of the following categories: direct mail and literature, print, outdoor advertising, vehicle advertising, point-of-purchase, public relations/specialty events, and Web site in addition to a runner-up mention for label design.
"The San Manuel Bottled Water Group and our agency, Off Madison Ave, worked together to build the Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water brand and implement successful marketing activities," said Steve Weller, executive vice president, sales and marketing of San Manuel Bottled Water Group. "We are thrilled to achieve this degree of success and recognition in this amount of time, and the 'Best of Show' honor places us in a highly competitive position in the market."
About San Manuel Bottled Water Group and Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water
San Manuel Bottled Water Group, an economic enterprise of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, produces Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water.
The San Manuel Bottled Water Group embarked on its mission to share the same crisp, refreshing and clean tasting water that the Tribe's native ancestors have enjoyed for centuries.
Big Bear Mountain Premium Spring Water comes from isolated springs that have been protected by people living in harmony with the environment everyday, and is the only spring water in Southern California bottled at the source.
