Bid or donate now on www.mostpreciouswater.com and help educate a child

Dubai, May 9, 2013: The online auction of a 1.5 litre Masafi natural mineral water bottle - the first-of-its-kind online philanthropic auction for a bottle of mineral water - is gaining momentum with new bids as bidders and donors open their heart strings and purse strings to contribute for the noble cause on www.mostpreciouswater.com.

The auction, which started at a base price of AED 1.5 for the bottle, has now crossed the AED 5,000 mark [as on May 8, 2013], with the number of supporters and donations registering a steady increase. Proceeds from the online auction will go to Dubai Cares in support of providing children in developing countries access to quality primary education.

The auction for the bottle - estimated to become the most precious mineral water bottle in the world, runs till June 30, 2013 and supports Dubai Cares' programs globally. Those who are outbid in the auction have the option of donating the bid amount to Dubai Cares through the auction site.

Mr Reginald Randall, CEO of Masafi, said: "We are overwhelmed with the response to the online auction and the long-lasting impact it will have in the lives of underprivileged children. I am thankful to all the bidders and donors and hope we will continue to see a very high level of community engagement for this noble cause."

Masafi will also reinforce awareness about the online auction through an activation, which will be taking place at The Dubai Mall between May 9 and 19, 2013 where the auction bottle will be on display. Shoppers can donate or bid for the cause with the help of representatives at the activation.

The online auction takes interested bidders through the e-government payment gateways and all contributions are forwarded directly to Dubai Cares. The requisite security features have been put in place to ensure secure communication and transaction for users.

The online auction is part of the 'Thank You' campaign initiated by Masafi - one of the region's leading FMCG brands - in partnership with Dubai Cares, the UAE-based philanthropic organization. 
 
About Masafi:
Masafi, the leading producer of pure natural mineral water in the entire Gulf, was established in 1976 with a paid-up capital of approximately $5.5 million. The company has retained its market leadership for over three decades by providing world-class products which are renowned for their pure natural freshness. This has seen Masafi become the premium reference for bottled mineral water in the entire region. In the process, it has built an extremely strong distribution network to consistently deliver to dynamic market requirements and has continuously upgraded its state-of-the-art equipment to keep pace with technological advances around the globe.

Being a leading brand that delivers to consumer needs, Masafi's wide product portfolio includes Pure, Natural Mineral Water, Tissues, Juices, Flavored Water, Basmati Rice and Gourmet (Chips). The mineral water product line comes in bottles of 1.5 litres, 1 litre, 500ml, 330ml (regular and sports) 4 gallon bottles, 330ml kids packaging (regular and sports); mineral water cups in sizes of 250ml, 200ml, and 125ml. All Masafi product bottles are 100 per cent recyclable and only for one-time-use. The tissue line includes boutique fragrant tissues in four scents, floral tissues in purple, pink and green colors, and car tissue boxes. Masafi leads the UAE market in the Brand Equity Index in the water and tissue categories. The hugely popular Masafi Juices come in an array of original flavors and rich fruit blends available in 2 litre, 1 litre and 200ml bottles and a 100% juice blend tetra pack product line. The flavored water is available in four flavors -- strawberry, lemon, peach and mint & lemon in 500ml sizes. The Gourmet potato chips come in five flavours - sea salt, sweet chilly, 'four cheese', salt & vinegar and Labneh & Zaatar. The 100% natural Masafi Premium Basmati Rice is the finest quality basmati offering an unique aroma, authentic taste and pure goodness.

The company was the first recipient of the ISO 9002 certification in the entire Middle East and was awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification for developing and maintaining a high standard Quality Management System. Masafi has also been awarded the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certification. Masafi is also a member of International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and Asia Bottled Water Association (ABWA). Masafi Water is tested and approved by NSF International, USA, which carries out annual unprompted audits on behalf of IBWA. Masafi is the first mineral water company in the region to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management.

For further information, please contact Venkat Iyer, BPG | PR, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +9714-295 3456; Fax: +9714-295 1027; E-mail: venkat@bpgpr.com

© Press Release 2013