It’s easy to get caught up in the news and activities of the industry’s global giants, but what about the smaller firms pushing boundaries with bold ideas? In this instalment of Start-up Spotlight – which celebrates lesser-known companies and their innovations – we speak to James Gould-Porter, founder of Elder Water, a new British spring water brand that uses a closed-loop glass bottle system to help hospitality operators reduce single-use packaging.

Following the sale of Island Poké to Honi Poké, what motivated you to launch Elder Water? What gap did you identify in the bottled water market?

After Island Poké, I wanted to build something more essential and enduring than food trends. Water is the most fundamental product there is, yet the category is full of contradiction, premium positioning wrapped in wasteful packaging.

The gap was clear: High-quality British water, delivered properly, without single-use plastic or throwaway glass. There was also a lack of provenance and transparency in many brands.

Elder is about doing things the traditional way – honest sourcing, proper reuse and a system that actually makes sense – with the added benefit of building something connected to Somerset, where I’m from.

Elder has been described as the ‘milkman of British spring water’. Can you explain how the closed-loop glass bottle system works in practice?

It’s a simple, proven model – just modernised. We deliver full cases in reusable glass bottles and collect the empties at the same time.

The bottles are then professionally cleaned, sterilised and refilled at source. Customers pay a small deposit, which encourages returns and helps keep the system efficient.

No glass gets thrown away unless it has genuinely reached the end of its life. It’s a circular approach, rooted in how things used to be done properly.

Single-use packaging remains a major issue in the beverage sector. How does Elder aim to reduce waste compared with traditional bottled water supply chains?

Most bottled water is built on a linear model – produce, ship, drink, discard. We have flipped that entirely. Our bottles are reused again and again, dramatically reducing the need for new materials and cutting carbon tied to manufacturing.

We also improve transport efficiency by operating regionally and collecting empties as we deliver. The aim is not to be slightly better, it is to remove the problem altogether. Waste should not be part of the model in the first place. 

Why did you decide to focus initially on the hospitality sector, restaurants, pubs and gyms, rather than retail?

Hospitality offers control, volume and visibility all at once. Venues go through large volumes of water, so the return system works efficiently from day one.

It also ensures the product is experienced properly – served cold, in the right glassware and in the right setting. Retail, by contrast, isn’t well compatible with the reuse model.

A key benefit for our customers is that we remove disposal costs while also supporting their ESG goals.

Your water is sourced from a protected spring in Cheddar Gorge. What makes this source unique in terms of mineral profile and taste?

Cheddar Gorge is one of Britain’s most naturally protected and geologically rich environments. The water is filtered slowly through ancient limestone, which gives it a clean, balanced mineral profile.

It isn’t overly hard, but it is mineral-rich – giving it a refined, crisp and highly drinkable character. That balance is key; it’s a water you can drink all day without fatigue.

It’s proper British spring water with real character, not filtered tap water.

Hospitality operators are under increasing pressure to improve their environmental credentials. How can Elder help venues meet sustainability goals without compromising on service or experience?

Most sustainable options come with a trade-off, whether on cost, quality or presentation. We remove that trade off. Elder looks premium on the table, performs operationally and significantly reduces waste behind the scenes.

Venues can demonstrate real action, not just token gestures. It also resonates with customers, who are increasingly aware of what they’re being served.

In short, Elder enhances both sustainability and the guest experience, while also improving the bottom line – something the hospitality sector needs more than ever right now.

Consumer attitudes to hydration and bottled water are changing. How do you see the premium water category evolving over the next few years?

Consumers are becoming far more conscious about health, source and environmental impact. The days of anonymous bottled water are numbered.

The premium category will shift towards provenance, mineral composition and sustainability done properly, not just marketed. There will also be growth in functional hydration, but at its core, the focus will remain on clean, natural water with a clear story.

The brands that succeed will be those that are both authentic and operationally credible.

What has been the company's biggest achievement and challenge to date?

Our biggest achievement has been proving that the model works commercially, not just environmentally. Getting venues to switch systems is no small feat, but once they do, they tend to stay.

The biggest challenge is logistics. Reverse supply chains are inherently more complex than one-way distribution, requiring discipline, consistency and strong operational execution.

It is not the easy route, but it is the right one.

For aspiring start-ups in the food and beverage industry, what valuable advice or insights would you share?

Focus on the fundamentals: product, margin and repeatability. If those are not solid, nothing else matters. Do not get distracted by branding before the core model works.

Cash flow will make or break you, so stay disciplined and realistic. Choose a model that can scale without becoming chaotic.

And finally, do something that genuinely improves on what is already out there, incremental ideas rarely win.

Looking ahead, what is your long term vision for Elder Water and how widely could a circular water system like this be scaled across the UK?

The ambition is to build a nationwide network of regional hubs, each supplying local areas with truly circular water. There is no reason this cannot scale, milk did decades ago. The key is density and discipline in operations.

Long term, Elder should become the default way premium water is delivered across the UK. If executed properly, there’s no need for single-use packaging at all.