During the Holidays...

By Myrna

Accounts Receivable Rep

As a Mtn Mist employee, I appreciate all that the company does not just for its people, but for the community around the Holidays.  The company helps with Toys-for-Tots every year, done giving trees and has delivered food baskets. The company gives us a large turkey every year for Thanksgiving, as appreciation for its employees. This year we received a ham for Christmas. Very much unexpected with the economy the way it is, but very much appreciated. We do a gift exchange and have a Potluck to celebrate the Holidays as a large family.

I look forward to the coming year and see the growth of the people and the company. Mtn Mist is a family oriented company that cares about its surroundings and the people that it serves as well as the people that work for it.

Happy Holidays!

Which is better? Tap water or Natural spring water?

(By: Jeff Briggs – Mountain Mist Driver )

This one seems easy for me! Let's see…
Having lived in Vancouver, WA. and been on public water source water in my home (which reeked of chlorine stronger than the Bally’s hot tub) and at the time delivered water for a company who filtered that same water and sold it at $7 per 5 gallon bottle, I'm happy to say that I deliver actual "natural spring water" now that I work for Mountain Mist.


Just do a little research into the company and it will show you all you need to know to realize that not all water is the same!

For example:

I drove across country to Nashville, TN the summer before last helping my mother move to be with the grand babies my brother and his wife have. Along the way I bought only water that was labeled "spring" water, which has to be from a natural spring with nothing added to have that type of label. The delicious water we deliver was only closely matched by a company bottling out of Colorado. The farther east we went, the more prevalent Iron and Sulpher became until (around Illinois). I switched to drinking “Rock Stars” because the water tasted so horrible to me being that I was so used to the perfect taste that only the Pacific Northwest can provide. Don’t be fooled Many companies across the country got "grandfathered in" and kept springs in the company name, but have to label their water as "purified water" or "drinking water."

MOUNTAIN MIST IS NO SUCH COMPANY!!!

There’s only filtered natural water in our bottles, unless you prefer distilled water in which case it came to us from the same natural spring and was steam distilled to absolute purity. (H2O) - the delicious natural minerals the artesian picked up along over 10 miles of filtration through western Washington’s sand and gravel.

The company slogan is: "Taste the Difference!"

If you suspect you've been buying bottled tap water and want to see if water does have a flavor,
call 1-800-232-7332 and sign up for a "One-month FREE TRIAL," which consists of the use of a cooler/water dispenser & (2) 5-gallon bottles at no charge.  I bet you'll not only see a difference in the quality and taste of the water, but also will be thoroughly impressed by the service you receive from our professional Customer Service & Delivery Teams!

Did I mention the fact that when you call Customer Service, the friendly representatives you'll speak with are working in Spanaway, WA? You don’t need to wait 3 days for your message to get from Louisiana to L.A. to your driver! An extra bonus in and of itself!

Local News | Candy, soda tax expires Thursday | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Candy, soda tax expires Thursday Seattle Times Newspaper

A special greeting at Thanksgiving time

from our family to yours, 

to express our sincerest appreciation

for your confidence and loyalty!

We are deeply thankful

and extend best wishes

for a happy and healthy

Thanksgiving Day!

Toys-For-Tots ♥

We are proud to announce that we are teaming up with "Toys for Tots," and will be a collection site for toys. 

The collection bins will be at our Corporate Office, located at:

• 5410 189th St E, Puyallup, WA 98375

You can also give your toy donation to any Mountain Mist representative to bring back to our site.  Deadline is December 10, 2010.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of a donation!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Bottled Water Tax in Effect June 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Mike Gowrylow
(360) 570-6048



Services B&O Tax Increase, Higher Cigarette Tax Expected to Start May 1; Other Tax Changes to Follow

OLYMPIA – April 20, 2010 – Several tax changes will take effect as early as May 1, assuming Governor Chris Gregoire signs into law a tax package sent to her by the Legislature.

2ESSB 6143 temporarily increases the business and occupation tax rate on services beginning May 1. Another bill, ESHB 2493, increases cigarette and most other tobacco taxes May 1.

The legislation also extends the sales tax to candy and bottled water beginning June 1, increases the beer tax starting June 1, and imposes a carbonated beverage tax effective July 1. All the tax changes expire on July 1, 2013, except the ones on candy and tobacco products.

While the tax changes are contingent on the governor’s action, the Department of Revenue is notifying businesses ahead of time so they can prepare for them. Detailed information on each tax measure is being posted at http://dor.wa.gov.

The service tax increase to 1.8 percent of gross income from 1.5 percent affects all service businesses except hospitals and scientific research and development activities. The “services and other business activities” classification includes businesses such as attorneys, architects, engineers, physicians and private investigators.

The measure includes a permanent doubling to $70 a month of the small business B&O tax credit that will allow services to gross up to about $80,000 annually without incurring any additional B&O tax liability, and in some cases paying lower taxes. About 74,000 service businesses out of a total of 137,000 companies will benefit from the increase in the credit.

2ESSB 6143 also temporarily suspends a sales tax exemption affecting livestock nutrient management, repeals a property management salary exemption, limits the bad debt deduction on retail sales, requires corporate boards of directors to pay tax on their fees, directs the Department to deny abusive tax avoidance schemes, addresses several court decisions affecting taxation, and sets minimum nexus standards affecting out-of -state companies doing business in Washington. More information on the legislation is available at http://leg.wa.gov.

More Supported Needed....Oppose the Proposed Bottled Water Tax!

Below is an update from IBWA distributed just this morning......

Dear Washington State Bottled Water Supporter,

The Washington State Legislature is heading into a special budget session next Monday, March 15th, and a sales tax on bottled water is still on the table as one possible way to try to help close the state's $2.8 billion budget deficit.

Even if you already helped us oppose the bottled water tax proposals during the past couple of weeks by writing your your Washington State Senators and Representatives, PLEASE consider taking another few minutes of your time to WRITE THEM AGAIN THIS WEEKEND with our new messages. Ask them to REMOVE the bottled water sales tax from the budget revenue proposal that is currently under consideration. The arguments for not taxing bottled water are strong and sound, and they are starting to gain traction among legislators. Bottled water is a packaged FOOD product, and as such should remain EXEMPT from Washington State's sales taxes.

Visit either of these links to TAKE ACTION:

http://www.bottledwatermatters.com/content/take-action

OR

http://capwiz.com/ibwa/issues/alert/?alertid=14709586

And please consider passing this email along to your family and friends who also enjoy bottled water so that they can write their legislators and sign our sign our Bottled Water Matters petition too.

Thanks for your time, and we truly do appreciate your support of the bottled water industry and our products.

Sincerely,
The Bottled Water Matters Team

TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Oppose WA state's proposed bottle water tax!

TO: IBWA Washington State Bottler, Distributor and Supplier Members
CC: IBWA Government Relations Committee and State Affairs Task Force

Please see below for a SECOND Action Alert that was sent THIS WEEK to our Washington State Bottled Water Matters petition signers regarding the bottled water tax proposals that are being considered RIGHT NOW in the Legislature. Please take action yourself - EVEN IF YOU ALREADY DID SO LAST WEEK - and please share this action alert with ALL your co-workers, family, friends and customers so that they may take action as well to protect the bottled water industry in Washington State. We generated about 400 letters from last week's alert, and would like get 800 MORE letters to legislators within the next two days.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE HERE, SO PLEASE BE CREATIVE AND GET THE WORD OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WASHINGTON STATE DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE EXISTING BOTTLED WATER SALES TAX EXEMPTION.

Thank you, and please do not hesitate to contact IBWA with any related concerns or questions.

Daniel Felton
Director, Government Relations
International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)
1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650
Alexandria, VA. 22314
(703) 647-4618 office
Dfelton@bottledwater.org





Dear Washington State Bottled Water Supporter,

Thank you very much for taking the time to sign our Bottled Water Matters petition during this past year. We truly do appreciate your support of the bottled water industry and our products.

And thank you if you responded to our Action Alert last week asking you to write your Washington State legislators about bottled water tax proposals that are currently under consideration within the Legislature. Talk about taxing bottled water continues this week, now with a very strong interest in trying to eliminate the existing bottled water sales tax exemption. Bottled water is a packaged FOOD product, and as such should remain exempt from Washington State's sales taxes.

Please consider taking another few minutes of your time TODAY to sign a letter to your Washington State Senators and Representatives asking them to OPPOSE any and all legislation that would raise the price of your bottled water and eliminate jobs. A copy of your letter will automatically be sent to Governor Gregoire. The bottled water tax proposal will be under serious consideration in the Legislature as early as TODAY, so it is critical that your legislators hear from you RIGHT NOW. The short time you spend today on this issue will save you money tomorrow.

Visit either of these links to take action:

http://www.bottledwatermatters.com/content/take-action

OR

http://capwiz.com/ibwa/issues/alert/?alertid=14709586

Please pass this email along to your family and friends who also enjoy bottled water so that they can write their legislators too. And ask them to sign our petition if they haven’t already done so.

Thanks for your time, and we appreciate your support of the bottled water industry.

Sincerely,
The Bottled Water Matters Team

Oppose Washington State Bottled Water Tax Proposal!

A communication from IBWA ( International Bottled Water Association ) that came out today outlines just a few of the serious implications that can and will occur if this proposal is passed and put in to action. The 130% taxation of bottled water will render much-needed drinking water un-affordable for many people who can't drink well water that isn't drinking quality or force them to drink water from government sources that contain chemicals and flouride. Thousands of Washington citizens will lose their jobs and make our unemployment rates soar. The links below generate a pre-typed letter in opposition to the 1 cent per ounce bottled water tax and there is space provided for a personal message as well. Please continue reading to view the original communication............





Dear Washington State Bottled Water Supporter,


Thank you very much for taking the time to sign our Bottled Water Matters petition during this past year. We truly do appreciate your support of the bottled water industry and our products.

We wanted to let you know that Governor Chris Gregoire and some within the Washington State Legislature are currently discussing ways to close the State's $2.8 billion budget shortfall, and one proposal currently under consideration is a 1-cent-per-ounce TAX ON BOTTLED WATER. If this proposal were to be signed into law, it would easily DOUBLE the price of a case of water in the state, and the price of a 3- or 5-gallon jug of water. It could also eliminate a lot of good paying jobs and hurt a great manufacturing industry in Washington State.

Please take just a few minutes of your time TODAY to sign a letter to your Washington State Senators and Representatives asking them to OPPOSE any and all legislation that would raise the price of your bottled water and eliminate jobs. A copy of your letter will automatically be sent to Governor Gregoire. The bottled water tax proposal may be under serious consideration in the Legislature very soon, so it is critical that your legislators hear from you RIGHT NOW. The short time you spend today on this issue will save you money tomorrow.

Visit either of these links to take action:
http://www.bottledwatermatters.com/content/take-action



OR



http://capwiz.com/ibwa/issues/alert/?alertid=14709586
Please pass this email along to your family and friends who also enjoy bottled water so that they can write their legislators too. And ask them to sign our petition if they haven’t already done so.
Thanks for your time, and we appreciate your support of the bottled water industry.



Sincerely,

The Bottled Water Matters Team

Gregoire: Raise taxes on bottled water, pop, cigs

Full post at: http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/194909.asp

Gregoire: Raise taxes on bottled water, pop, cigs Higher taxes on things like bottled water, pop, cigarettes and candy are part of Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal to raise more than $600 million to help avoid large cuts to education and social services.

Gregoire: Raise taxes on bottled water, pop, cigs


Higher taxes on things like bottled water, pop, cigarettes and candy are part of Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal to raise more than $600 million to help avoid large cuts to education and social services.

Gregoire's plan, which also includes closing some tax loopholes, was released Wednesday.


The plan contains $493 million in tax increases, including a hike on the tax rate on oil products and other pollutants from 0.7 to 2 percent. That would generate about $148 million for state programs, according to Gregoire.

The governor also wants:


· An excise tax on bottled water: This would be a tax of 1 cent per ounce. It would raise $134.7 million this budget period, the governor says.

· Excise tax on carbonated beverages: A tax of 5 cents per 12 ounces to raise $93.6 million through July of 2011.

· Increase on cigarette and tobacco taxes: This would raise $88.8 million through this budget period. It includes raising the taxes on cigarettes by a buck a pack to $3.025.


· Sales tax on candy and gum: Most food products are exempt from the state's sales tax. This proposal would introduce such a levy on candy and gum to raise $28 million through next year.

The state's operating budget deficit is $2.8 billion - meaning that even if Gregoire's tax plans were approved about a billion in cuts will have to be made. Washington is hoping for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money to help balance its books.

Advocates for the state's needy praised the governor, but said the tax increase proposal needed to be bigger.


"The choice we face as a state is clear, either state will raise significant new revenue or we will face devastating cuts to the services that support our quality of life," said Sandeep Kaushik, spokesman for the Rebuilding our Economic Future Coalition. "Gov. Gregoire made it clear today that she understands that working families across the state are hurting and the state needs to act quickly and decisively to pass a revenue package."


To make it easier to raise taxes majority Democrats are working to suspend a citizen initiative that requires a two-thirds legislative vote. The House is expected to approve a bill suspending Initiative 960 late Wednesday night. The Senate has already OK'd the measure. Republicans have strongly opposed attempts to suspend I-960.

There are Democrats in the House who propose going in farther than Gregoire; some have advocated an across-the-board sales tax increase.


"This isn't just 'a day late and a dollar short' – it's a year late and several hundred million dollars short. We must find more revenue to avoid an even more apocalyptic budget crisis in 2011," Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, said in a statement.

Study: Bottled Water Has Small Environmental Footprint

A new study released last week finds that water, in all its forms, has the least environmental impact of any beverage choice. When compared to other packaged beverages, including soft drinks, sports drinks, enhanced waters and juices, bottled water has the lightest environmental footprint.


Commissioned by Nestle Waters North America, the life-cycle analysis study is believed to be the first peer-reviewed, comprehensive analysis of the environmental impact of water and alternative beverage options, including filtered and un-filtered tap water consumed from reusable plastic, steel and aluminum containers.

According to the report, packaging and distribution are key contributors to a beverage’s carbon footprint. Key findings from the study include the fact that water is the least environmentally impactful beverage option. Water of all types accounts for 41 percent of a consumer’s total beverage consumption, but represents just 12 percent of a consumer’s climate change impact.

Bottled water is the most environmentally responsible packaged drink choice. Sports drinks, enhanced waters and soda produce nearly 50 percent more carbon dioxide emissions per serving than bottled water. Juice, beer and milk produce nearly three times as many carbon dioxide emissions per serving as bottled water.

“Water is the hero in this story. If people have access to good quality tap water, we’ve always felt they should use it,” said Kim Jeffery, president and CEO of Nestle Waters North America, in a press release. “And, from a health perspective, choosing bottled water — with no calories, sweeteners or additives — is about the smartest choice one can make among packaged beverages.”

Water for Haiti Update

Here is an email we received from the northwest bottled water association




Hello Everyone!


I wanted to share our exciting news with you. NWBWA and you are doing great things as an association. Thank you to all of you that have contributed to the Water for Haiti project. I'm please to inform you that our first truck load shipped last week and is on its way to Haiti. Our first load was produced by Idaho Ice in Moscow, Idaho. Kevin Espy and his team, along with owner Jim Schwartz, not only donated their spring water, but donated their time and labor to make this project happen. I have been working closely with Jim Connelly, our Vice President. We are partnering with Convoy of Hope - an organization that is well established and was already on the ground in Haiti long before this horrific earthquake. They have been feeding up to 11,000 children per day to make sure they get at least one meal of food and water each day. Their warehouse in Haiti was away from the epicenter and virtually untouched by this quake. With the need for food and water at a catastrophic level, our timing could not be better. Convoy of Hope is covering all transportation of the product to Haiti. Our first load is approximately 20,000 liter bottles. Our supplier members have been a key part of our success. This first truckload of raw materials was totally donated: bottles, caps, labels and boxes. With his special donation we now have funding from our members, that will allow us to move forward. Paul Fischer, General Manager of Mountain Mist in Tacoma, Washington, has also stepped up for our cause and is donating Mountain Mist artesian well water and all the labor to send out our second load. Paul's suppliers are helping defer some of the cost with raw material donations as well. Idaho Ice is going out on a limb and producing a third load. Our hope, as an association, is that our members will continue to help with this project. Please, if you can, send your donation to NWBWA, marked for Water to Haiti project. Last week I traveled to Moscow, Idaho with Jim Connelly to meet with the media. Our interview will air in the northwest market, promoting our efforts in Haiti. We are working on other ways to raise funds. Some of our bottlers are asking their customers for support, while others have their employees working together to raise funds to keep helping this cause. The people of Haiti will need support for many years to help rebuild what has been taken away by this event. Thank you again for your support and helping us at NWBWA to make a difference in the world we live in.



Sincerely,

Tim Dougherty

Executive Director

Northwest Bottled Water Association