A US-based multinational water company. Its Israeli subsidiary Eden Springs extracts water from the occupied Golan Heights and is headquartered in an illegal settlement there.
Primo Water, previously known as Cott Corporation, is a water company based in Tampa, Florida, providing water and filtration services to homes and businesses across North America, Europe, and Israel. The company formed as the merger of U.S.-based Primo Water and Canada-based Cott Corporation, which acquired Primo in 2020. As of 2019, the combined company has over 2.5 million customers and an annual revenue of $2.4 billion. The company also used to provide coffee, tea, and other food and drink products, but it is transitioning to only providing water. DS Services of America, a subsidiary of Primo Water, has several contracts with the U.S. Federal Government. DS Services sells water under multiple brand names, including Alhambra, Crystal Rock, Crystal Springs, Deep Rock Water, Hinckley Springs, Kentwood Springs, Mount Olympus, Mountain Valley, Reliant, Sierra Springs, and Sparkletts.
Eden Springs, the Israeli subsidiary of Primo Water, sources and bottles its water in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The extraction of natural resources from an occupied territory is illegal under international law. Eden Springs (Mey Eden in Hebrew) is one of Israel’s largest water companies. It has been extracting mineral water from the Salukia spring near the illegal settlement of Katzrin since 1983. In 2018, the company started drilling for the water underground instead of collecting it at the surface. The company’s bottling factory is located in Katzrin’s industrial zone and also serves as a visitor center and tourist attraction. Eden Springs was acquired in 2016 by Cott Corporation, which is now Primo Water.
- On May 23, 2018, the student senate at the University of Oregon passed a resolution to divest from companies including the Strauss Group, the Osem Group, Hewlett-Packard Company, Ahava, General Electric, Eden Springs, Motorola, G4S, Elbit Systems. The resolution also prohibited the purchase of products from Sabra, Tribe, Sodastream, and the companies listed above.
- On March 6, 2016, the Vassar Student Association voted to support the international BDS movement and to divest from companies profiting from Israeli human rights abuses, including Eden Springs.