SPARKMOUTH hailed for beverage benevolence

HMCS Nanaimo returned from Operation Laser May 22. Members of the crew received SPARKMOUTH drinks as they disembarked. Photo by Leading Seaman Valerie LeClair, MARPAC Imaging Services

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

A British Columbia beverage company has come through with a substantial, thirst-quenching donation to CFB Esquimalt. 

Vancouver-based SPARKMOUTH Drinks Co. Ltd made good on a delivery of 57,600 355ml cans of its new sparkling water on May 20. The 2,400 cases of drinks were unloaded at base storage facilities Colwood 66 and Y702 and will be distributed to military and civilian staff working at integral and lodger units across the base. 

Jackie Fox, SPARKMOUTH Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, says the donation was her company’s way of letting the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces know they greatly appreciate the work they do.

“Our company wanted to support and give thanks to those on the front lines that are supporting our community and keeping us safe in such a precarious time,” said Fox. “When we decided to earmark some of our product for donation, we immediately thought of the Canadian military. We hope it puts a small ‘spark’ into their day.”

LCdr Colleen O’Brien, N44 Staff Officer, Supply Chain Management and Systems Readiness, said the drinks can be consumed by members in the workplace or taken home to their families. Units receiving shipments are Base Administration, Base Information Services, Base Logistics, Port Operations and Emergency Services Branch, Canadian Forces Health Services, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Military Police Unit Esquimalt, Regional Joint Operations Centre, and Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships.

LCdr O’Brien says SPARKMOUTH’s generosity is a morale booster for those in the defence community who have provided essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and Operation Laser.

The donation by SPARKMOUTH has an approximate cash value of $43,000. The company is a new player in Canada’s expanding specialty beverage industry and is owned by Matt Phillips of Phillips Brewing and Malting; it was launched in August 2019. Their sparkling water beverages are made in four flavours – lemon, lime, grapefruit and strawberry – and are available for purchase at major retailers in Western Canada including London Drugs, Safeway, Sobeys, Thrifty Foods, and Fairway Markets.

For more information about SPARKMOUTH beverages and its full line of products visit their website www.sparkmouth.com

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