Odwalla and Trinity Springs Terminate Agreement; North America's Only Unprocessed Spring Water Now Exclusively Bottled by Trinity Springs

Business Wire, Dec 17, 1998

PARADISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 17, 1998--Trinity Springs Ltd. today announced that Odwalla Inc. (Nasdaq:ODWA) is no longer purchasing spring water from Trinity Springs.

This means that Trinity Springs is the only company in North America bottling spring water in its live, organic state -- without processing. Trinity Springs' water, TRINITY, was introduced in individual serving size this fall, and is distributed throughout the West.

TRINITY is an exceedingly rare spring water: It flows naturally from the earth's deepest known source and is completely protected from modern pollutants by the massive granite geologic structure holding the Trinity Springs in Paradise, Idaho. It was this natural purity that drew Odwalla to the Trinity Springs source to begin with.

"Odwalla recognized the importance of our Source," said Mark Johnson, Trinity Springs President and CEO. "We were grateful to have their label to market under until we completed our own bottling facility at the Source, but our goal has always been to only offer the water in its unprocessed state, which we are now doing, under our TRINITY brand."

Naturliches Heilwasser -- The U.S.' only

certified natural health water

TRINITY is the only spring water in North America that is certified with the elite European distinction "Naturliches Heilwasser" -- healing or health water. This certification recognizes springs of exceptional purity that contain beneficial minerals and are handled with great care. The certification also requires that the spring water must be bottled in its natural state -- without processing.

The recent Organic Trade Association-sponsored survey shows that Americans are very interested in organic and unprocessed goods. The study's numbers show overall average growth for 1996-97 at 36%. Average annual growth rates over the past five years, from 1992-97, are even more staggering, with product category growth estimated at 42% overall.

Concurrently, the bottled water industry is big business at $3.9 billion in 1997 -- growing yearly at a rate of 9.6% (International Bottled Water Association.) And the trend will only go up as we learn more about the alarming state of the nation's tap water. President Clinton last month announced stricter controls for municipal water systems, because of the contaminant levels in the nation's water supply.

TRINITY availability and pricing

TRINITY is currently available in .5, 1.0 and 1.5 liter PET bottles at grocery and health food stores in the western U.S. TRINITY is priced below European premium waters because "everyone deserves to drink this water." Suggested retail prices are $.79, $1.29 and $1.49.

About Trinity Springs Ltd.

Trinity Springs Ltd. is a privately-held corporation headquartered in Ketchum, Idaho. The company, founded in 1990, began shipment of large 3-gallon containers of TRINITY in 1995 within Idaho, and completed a state-of-the-art small-container processing plant at the spring source in Paradise, Idaho, in May, 1998. The company has 27 employees. Trinity Springs can be reached at 800/390-5693 and at www.trinitysprings.com.