SINGAPORE - 12 May 2026 - Swiss-founded sustainable premium filtered water brand BE WTR is doubling down on Southeast Asia with the strategic acquisition of Porla in Singapore and Hong Kong, alongside a new licensing partnership for Thailand. Building on its strong success in China and Singapore, with established operations across four locations, the move marks a clear ambition: to redefine how premium water is sourced, served, and valued across Asia’s F&B and hospitality sectors. Porla has been active in the premium hospitality and F&B sector since August 2015 as the regional distributor for a European water solutions brand, installing filtration systems and high-end dispensing and bottling lines in premium hotels and restaurants including Raffles Hotel Singapore, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Hilton Singapore Orchard and Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. The acquisition doubles BE WTR’s team in Singapore, brings the Hong Kong operations under its management, and marks the brand’s entry into Thailand. Existing rental and service agreements will transition to BE WTR, ensuring a seamless transition for more than 300 clients across the region, while unlocking an upgrade to BE WTR’s brand, proprietary technology and distinctive still and sparkling water experience.
Mike Hecker, Founder & CEO of BE WTR, said, "We are proud to expand our presence in Southeast Asia through the acquisition of Porla's activities in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as partnering with them to further develop the water solutions industry in Thailand. More importantly, we are challenging a long-standing industry assumption: that premium hospitality must rely on imported water. Premium hospitality has, for too long, equated quality with distance. Shipping a glass bottle across the globe only to use it once is no longer defensible environmentally or economically."
Peter Ulrich, Director of Porla, commented, "BE WTR delivers the vision the region has been waiting for, combining quality, sustainability, and operational excellence. Our clients now benefit from a truly differentiated product without compromising on the high level of service they expect. I am especially excited to continue this journey in Thailand, where demand for premium and sustainable hospitality solutions is accelerating.”
While the acquisition strengthens BE WTR’s regional footprint with the addition of more than 300 high-value corporate clients, the larger ambition is clear: to reshape the premium water category in F&B and hospitality, moving it away from imported brands toward a superior, locally produced alternative.
BE WTR offers the only premium, sustainable glass-bottled water produced locally in Singapore. At a time when most high-end food and beverage establishments, offices, hotels and conference centres still rely heavily on imported European water, BE WTR challenges the status quo, proving that local water is not only more sustainable, but also higher quality and more cost-efficient.
BE WTR’s Swiss-engineered ultra-filtration process eliminates all pollutants including microplastics, while preserving essential minerals, providing a smooth, balanced taste profile in both still and sparkling water. Crucially, every BE WTR bottle is part of a fully circular system: bottled locally, collected, professionally sanitised, and reused over 300 times, resulting in the most sustainable premium bottled water available.
This fully automated process complies with all local regulations and is enabled by compact, proprietary
bottling technology that can operate within city centres or even large hotels, dramatically reducing
transport, emissions and reliance on global supply chains.
Singapore is a global tourism and hospitality hub and a leader in sustainability, yet remains heavily dependent on imported bottled water, particularly in premium F&B. Today, virtually all bottled water served in high-end venues is imported, often from Europe, with an estimated 30 million glass bottles entering Singapore each year.
While glass is often perceived as a premium and sustainable format, imported glass carries a significant environmental burden due to long-distance transport and single-use consumption. This creates a clear opportunity for structural change in the category, where premium quality, sustainability, and local production are no longer trade-offs, but the new standard.
For F&B operators navigating a challenging cost environment, BE WTR’s model also offers practical advantages. Economies of scale, combined with an integrated system of filtration, bottling, delivery and collection, allow for more supportive pricing while enhancing the overall guest experience through consistency, quality and presentation.
BE WTR has been present in Singapore since 2022 and operates globally in over 10 countries, including China, with bottling facilities in Shanghai, Beijing, and Xiamen. Through the acquisition of Porla, BE WTR is strengthening its presence in Singapore and establishing operations in Hong Kong, one of Asia’s most influential hospitality markets, with a growing focus on sustainability.
In parallel, BE WTR and Porla have signed a licensing agreement to enter Thailand, a fast-growing hospitality market where rising tourism and premium trends are driving demand for sustainable, high-quality water solutions in the F&B space.
Hecker added, “In a world shaped by climate pressures, rising energy costs, and fragile supply chains, the future belongs to locally produced, high-quality solutions. BE WTR delivers exactly that: exceptional taste, a strong brand, and a radically lower environmental footprint. Today, our water is served in over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants globally. It is becoming a new benchmark, not just for quality, but for responsibility.”