Social enterprise Clearer Water purchased by Soilèir Group

Magheramorne-based social enterprise Clearer Water and its water brand have been acquired by the Soilèir Group for an undisclosed sum.

Situated on the shores of Larne Lough, the company is known for its ethically bottled water and will come under the Soilèir Group with immediate effect following the purchase from Access Employment Ltd (AEL).

The two entrepreneurs behind the sale are Ross Lazaroo-Hood and Sitki Gelmen, founders of insurance company the Landmark Holding Group.

They also formed their joint family charity the RUSA Foundation, which seeks to promote grass root sports and build community spirit by providing relief to disadvantaged and underprivileged families.

The duo are no strangers to Larne with Ross being born and bred in the Seacourt estate.

Landmark is the established principal sponsor of Larne FC, while the RUSA Foundation was behind last year’s Larne laptop appeal with the club’s Brighter Futures charity.

Clearer Water is recognised as a naturally stone filtered spring water, taken from a deep aquifer located at Maghermorne.

Supplying premium bottled water across Northern Ireland and with a small footprint in England, Clearer Water is also known for providing training and employment opportunities for socially disadvantaged young people.

Ross and Sitki, joint owners of Clearer Water and co-chairmen of The Soilèir Group, said: “In addition to Clearer Water’s unique position and quality water, it has been an inspiration in the NI communities assisting those with mixed working ability. We will be setting out a wide range of expansion plans, building the company over the short to long term future that will see growth for the brand and bringing more mixed ability career opportunities. We want to bring a vision of growth and greater impact to the local communities within the town of Larne and all over NI.

“At Soilèir, we see the growing demand for exceptional bottled water and the Clearer acquisition will allow the brand to effectively respond to customer demands at home in NI and in new territories. We will be making some exciting announcements very soon to enhance the Clearer Brand and new product ranges, so stay tuned and please support everyone involved at the Clearer Water family, from purchasing our water to following us on all our social media platforms.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you