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Bay of Plenty bottled water producer Oravida has installed a ground-based solar farm at its Ōtakiri bottling plant, supporting a multi-million-dollar expansion into luxury hotels across North America, Asia and Australasia.
The renewable energy installation supplies around two-thirds of the electricity required for daily operations and strengthens the company’s sustainability credentials as international hotel groups increasingly require verified environmental performance from suppliers.
The project, completed late last year, has a capacity of 144 kilowatts and generates enough renewable electricity during peak production to power the equivalent of 40 to 50 average New Zealand homes. The system supplies the majority of Oravida’s bottling operations during daylight hours, when production demand is highest.
General manager Robyn Farmer says the investment is believed to be the first time a New Zealand bottled water producer has integrated large-scale solar generation directly into its production process.
“This is about future-proofing the business,” Robyn says. “Sustainability is no longer optional if you want to work with international luxury hotel brands — it has become a baseline requirement.”
Oravida exports around 85 percent of its production, with the remainder sold domestically. Following a return to pre-Covid production levels in 2025–26, volumes are forecast to increase by up to 40 percent in 2026–27, driven by new supply agreements with international hotel groups.
The company is already stocked in high-end hospitality settings in China, including Mandarin Oriental and The Peninsula Hotels, and in New Zealand is served in selected five-star properties including JW Marriott.
Robyn says sustainability reporting has become a dominant factor in hotel procurement decisions.
“In many cases, more than half of the application process is focused on sustainability, carbon reduction and social responsibility,” she says. “If you can’t meet those expectations, the opportunity simply doesn’t proceed.”
Based on standard commercial electricity emissions factors, the solar installation is expected to reduce operational carbon emissions by around 960 kilograms of CO₂ per year, depending on production levels and grid conditions. Oravida is now undertaking formal carbon measurement and certification to support future international tenders.
Unlike most commercial solar systems, the installation was built on open land rather than the factory roof, allowing for easier maintenance, improved efficiency and future expansion as production grows. The on-site generation also improves resilience at the rural Ōtakiri site, which experiences multiple power outages each year.
The renewable energy project supports a wider international growth programme, including new packaging formats, expanded production capacity and market entry into Australia, with the first shipment scheduled for February. Preparatory work is also under way for future expansion into the United States.
Robyn says sustainability expectations in Asia have evolved rapidly over the past decade.
“Ten years ago, sustainability wasn’t part of the conversation,” she says. “Today, it’s central to how premium hotels select suppliers.”
As export demand grows, Oravida expects to increase staffing at its Ōtakiri operation and introduce extended production shifts over the next year.
“This isn’t about green marketing,” Robyn says. “It’s about building a business that can compete in the world’s most demanding hospitality markets — on both quality and sustainability.”
