Coolgreany native Tom O'Toole, has launched Ireland's first ethical bottled water company, 'ONE Water' which donates 100% of its profits to charities that build clean water projects in the developing world.

Tom (48) set up the company six months ago having been made redundant from facilities management two years earlier.

'I bought a bottle of 'ONE Water' in the UK and loved the concept of a company donating all its profits to the poor and decided to bring this idea home to Ireland,' he said.

Dublin-based Tom says he sources the water in Tipperary and bottles it with partners C&C/Gleesons and has already got bottles on the shelves in over 120 independent coffee shops, delis and restaurants nationwide.

As the sole employee he hopes ultimately to make a wage from the business but as a start-up Tom is now receiving support from the Social Welfare's Back To Work Scheme as well as his local Enterprise office.

'I spend no money on advertising and distribute the water in small independent outlets as well as in corporate head offices such as Twitter in Dublin and in Ashford Castle,' he said.

'My biggest start-up costs would have been those associated with bottling, warehousing, distribution and back office support. However when our bottling partner, M&J Gleeson and their parent company the C&C Group, learned about what we do they actually took us under their wing as part of their coporate social responisbility programme and helped us to get up and running without any major up front start-up costs. Without the support of the C&C Group I would have struggled to get this far,' he said.

By the end of 2016, Tom aims to make and donate €50,000 to the Irish-based charity 'Plan International Ireland' which will bring clean water to some 10,000 people in Ethiopia.

Tom explained that while the brand name 'ONE Water' and concept behind the bottled water is shared with UK and even Australian companies, the companies themselves are separate entities.

'We are all separate companies but we share the same ethos, so all the profits in the UK go to UK companies and all the profits I make will go to Irish-based charity, 'Plan International Ireland' who organise where the wells will be drilled in the developing world,' he said.

In the future Tom hopes to launch 'ONE' branded food products with Plan International Ireland that will aim to feed Ireland's homeless.

Tom is the son of the late Tom O'Toole of Millfarm, Coolgreany who ran a schooling track for greyhounds and was vice president of the Castletown Liam Mellows GAA club in 2003. 'One Water' is for sale in Gorey at 'The Bookshop Cafe'. For more information check out http://onedifference.org/ireland/.

Gorey Guardian