what's up with san luis water?

[Choripán]

Every distributor in my neighborhood is sold out of the big 20-liter bottles of San Luis water, the ones you use with a dispenser. No one seems to know why. Today I tried a new distributor, one in a slightly different urbanización a few blocks away. He told me that San Luis was going out of business and that his shop would be selling a new kind water soon, maybe San Mateo or Cielo. He said that I would need to buy a new dispenser and invest in new bottles because each company has its own unique system that is incompatible with every other kind of bottled water.

Has anyone else heard anything about this? The other brands of water totally suck compared to San Luis. And it seems odd that a company owned by Coca-Cola would go under so abruptly. You've got to drink over 300 liters of water to recoup the initial investment in a new system. Given what's happening with San Luis, I wonder if it's even worth it.

[chuck]

omg, i hope there is no problem - i am used to the taste, or lack of, of San Luis.

[viernes]

hey they are all out of regular size bottles on my street, and at metro the other day on Sucre they didn't have any either ( I usually buy the 6 packs of 2.5 liter bottles).

Crazy.

[GianO]

I prefer Cielo over San Luis, although to be honest I really miss NY tap water. Sounds kind of strange though that a water distributor would go under.

[Kelly]

I get Fresh Life delivered - the dispenser was only 80 soles (i think? not more than that, anyway), the 20 liter bidones are 10 soles. I'm not picky about water taste, so don't know how it compares to San Luis.

[susita83]

I prefer Cielo over San Luis, although to be honest I really miss NY tap water. Sounds kind of strange though that a water distributor would go under.

I live in NY and drink the tap water. I've never been a fan of bottled water. I'm convinced it's magical or something. It makes the most awesome breads, bagels & pizza.

[Choripán]

I live in NY and drink the tap water. I've never been a fan of bottled water. I'm convinced it's magical or something. It makes the most awesome breads, bagels & pizza.

Drinking tap water in Lima is not an ideological issue, at least not for me. It's not even a public health issue. It's nothing more than a question of taste. The water here is heavily chlorinated, much more so than anything I've ever encountered in the United States. I would prefer that my coffee in the morning and my soups for lunch and my steamed vegetables for dinner not taste like they had been made with water drained from a public swimming pool.

I'm glad that you enjoy the tap water in New York. I'm sure you also enjoy the clean air, honest police officers, world-class art galleries, fine cocktail lounges, efficient public transportation systems as well as the beautiful, safe and well-tended community gardens, full of flowers and butterflies, not to mention the awesome breads, bagels & pizza you seem to love. New York has some of the best drinking water in the world, thanks largely to an enormous underground aqueduct that brings unfiltered and virtually unchlorinated glacial lake water into the city from the Croton, Catskill and Delaware watersheds in the north, all of which unlike the mountains above Lima are protected environmental zones. The new tunnel only cost $6 billion to construct - about 25% of the nation of Peru's total budget - and the water it provides to the city of New York is truly wonderful, and possibly even magical, as you describe. If I were in New York, I would not hesitate to drink and cook with water straight from the tap. I also would not be asking questions on the internet about water or anything else, nor answering them with statements about how good life is in America.

But I live in Lima, Peru, for better or worse. And in Lima drinking water from reusable bottles is a reasonable choice given the reality of options available. In my view San Luis water was the best among those options. So unless you plan on bottling New York's truly magical tap water and shipping it to us here in Peru, I'm going to do whatever I can to find a suitable bottled water replacement within the city limits. Let me know if have any suggestions.

[susita83]

But I live in Lima, Peru, for better or worse. And in Lima drinking water from reusable bottles is a reasonable choice given the reality of options available. In my view San Luis water was the best among those options. So unless you plan on bottling New York's truly magical tap water and shipping it to us here in Peru, I'm going to do whatever I can to find a suitable bottled water replacement within the city limits. Let me know if have any suggestions.

I don't know why you took my post the way you did. I was just responding to another poster's comment about liking NY Tap water. Many here choose to not drink it & buy bottled water instead. To be honest, I'm quite offended by the tone you took with me, as I in no way meant to be rude.

I agree, when I'm in Lima I do not drink tap water unless it is boiled. And even then, I prefer bottled if it's available. The taste does bother me.

[americorps]

I understand that Agua San Luis, bottled by Coca Cola, and their entire line of products are having some problems due to labor disputes. There has been a recent price increase in many coke products and some availability issues and that is from union stores not accepting shipments, strikes at the bottling plants and distribution centers.

I understand the problem is not so much with the Coca Cola company or the bottlers, but more with Lindey, who is the primary distributor of coke products in Peru.

they are receiving strikes from both employees who do not feel they are being paid well enough and bodegas and restaurants that think their recent mark-ups are too high.

Lindley has released a statement telling how much they have raised salaries, how fuel and inflation has increased their prices and what they are trying to do to resolve the problem.

I do not have an opinion as to what side is more reasonable, just passing along what I know.

[MarcoPE]

dspquergy

[TonyLeslie]

There was plenty of San Luis 2.5 litre bottles available for sale at the Metro Supermarket in Breña last night. But sorry, I did not think to look for the large dispensers though. We have not had any problems buying the 2.5 litre bottles from the local shop that operates at ground level of this building either, who in fact, sell it cheaper than the supermarkets.

[rama0929]

But I live in Lima, Peru, for better or worse. And in Lima drinking water from reusable bottles is a reasonable choice given the reality of options available. In my view San Luis water was the best among those options. So unless you plan on bottling New York's truly magical tap water and shipping it to us here in Peru, I'm going to do whatever I can to find a suitable bottled water replacement within the city limits. Let me know if have any suggestions.

I don't know why you took my post the way you did. I was just responding to another poster's comment about liking NY Tap water. Many here choose to not drink it & buy bottled water instead. To be honest, I'm quite offended by the tone you took with me, as I in no way meant to be rude.

I agree, when I'm in Lima I do not drink tap water unless it is boiled. And even then, I prefer bottled if it's available. The taste does bother me.

I think you should bring him a bottle... Obviously, he feels very passionate about his water

[chi chi]

He told me that San Luis was going out of business and that his shop would be selling a new kind water soon, maybe San Mateo or Cielo. He said that I would need to buy a new dispenser and invest in new bottles because each company has its own unique system that is incompatible with every other kind of bottled water.

He told me that...

First check out if he saying the truth. He probably wants you to buy a new dispenser and bottles from his shop.

[susita83]

I think you should bring him a bottle... Obviously, he feels very passionate about his water

I guess it wouldn't be such a bad idea! Do you know how long it took my husband to drink the tap water after he moved here from Lima? I tried to tell him it was safe but he was so set in his ways he'd still boil it first. I think it was like a whole 6 months before he finally decided it was OK to drink it.

It's true, we take simple things like drinkable tap water for granted here in the states. Buying bottled water in Peru can be such an added expense, especially for families who don't have the extra $ for it.

[mistuhp]

He said that I would need to buy a new dispenser and invest in new bottles because each company has its own unique system that is incompatible with every other kind of bottled water.

My wife mentioned that, at her work, they have a San Luis dispenser but use a different brand of bottled water with it so I guess at least some other types are compatible with it.

When I moved into my place, there was a dispenser with San Luis on it. The first couple times the bidon was replaced, it was San Luis. The last couple, it's been San Mateo (same distributor each time). I was kind of wondering why, but it really never mattered to me. Anyhow, point is, same dispenser, with San Mateo, and it works fine. Weird.