American investor for water project attracts attention

– It's no secret, that for many years we have tried to find the right partners and that it has been very difficult to get the project up and running.

So says director Jørgen Wæver Johansen, who since 2016 together with Svend Hardenberg has worked on commercializing water from Uunartuarsuk (Lyngmarkskilden) in Qeqertarsuaq.

– It's no secret, that for many years we have tried to find the right partners and that it has been very difficult to get the project up and running.

So says director Jørgen Wæver Johansen, who since 2016 together with Svend Hardenberg has worked on commercializing water from Uunartuarsuk (Lyngmarkskilden) in Qeqertarsuaq.

Greenland Water Bank's accounts confirm that it has been difficult. Pretty much all the years has the company had a deficit.

But now there is hope ahead, because with Greenland Development Partners and partner Josette Sheeran as new chairman and minority investor in Greenland Water Bank new doors might be opened for the small water company.

Water in bottles and cans

Because even though Greenland Water Bank has had a hard time, it has actually gone well the company better than many others who have attempted the commercialization of water or ice from Greenland. Most companies have not arrived at one at all actual production.

That Greenland Water Bank has managed.

Thus, for several years, Imivik has been on the shelves in both Brugseni, Pilersuisoq and Pisiffik and at various restaurants. In the beginning, it was about a pint plastic bottle, but after the closure of Nuuk Imeq and the changes in deposit system in 2024, Greenland Water Bank tried canned Imivik.

Difficult terms

Along the way, the company has also launched a Kondivik, Kuulavik and an Imivik with fizz – albeit with limited success.

- The closure of Nuuk Imeq came at a very unfortunate time for us, where we had created a good working relationship and had a solid production of Imivik in PET bottle based on high quality and a known method with bottling plant in Greenland. Now we were suddenly in a situation where we had to focus on restructuring it future production at the same time that we had to ensure exclusivity on the excess water from Uunartuarsuk (Lyngmarkskilden) in Qeqertarsuaq so we could get the possibility of attracting investors to develop the project. When it was space, we started holding meetings with potential partners and investors, says Jørgen Wæver Johansen and adds:

- Water is a very common product, and there are many products on the market. Saw that was for us to find the right partner who could help us get our water from Lyngmarkskilden out into the world.

Contact to American investor

Greenland Water Bank got in touch with Josette via the representation in Washington Sheeran, who for seven years has led the UN's World Food Program (UN World Food Program) and which also sits in the board of Vestergaard International – a company which, among other things, has invented a special straws that act as a water filter and can save millions of lives.

Josette Sheeran was reportedly interested in finding an active water project in Greenland, and here Greenland Water Bank was the only company with a real production.

- We started already in 2023 a dialogue with Josette Sheeran, who has an impressive CV and a huge network that can help us get out to new markets. Together with her we are now working towards the right solution with a local tapping of water in Qeqertarsuaq for the Greenlandic market as well as a production of a more luxury-oriented product intended for an international market, says Jørgen Wæver Johansen, who has noticed that the company's American investor has attracted attention in it Danish press and spawned speculation about her alleged contacts with the Trump administration and the businessman Ronald Lauder, who was supposed to be the originator of the idea that Trump should buy Greenland.

The criticism bounces off

- I think that someone is trying to create one story out of nowhere here. We are a small water company that at long last have found some business partners. You just have to remember that many large Danish companies also have American owners.

– Latest here this week Copenhagen Municipality and Realdania have sold the Royal Arena for DKK 1.4 billion. kroner to the American company Live Nation, and what about Aarhus Airport, there bracket noted is critical infrastructure and which was recently purchased by the American company Fairchild? Still, it is a small Greenlandic company that gets the attention when an American investor finally reports himself on the field. It can surprise me a lot, says Jørgen Wæver Johansen.

Married with nail varnish suisoq

Asked about his role as not only a businessman and director of a water company, but also as husband to naalakkersuisoq for foreign affairs Vivian Motzfeldt, says Jørgen Wæver Johansen:

- My wife functions just like all other members of Naalakkersuisut within some clear guidelines, and of course she declares herself incompetent, if it has anything to do with me or my activities. And it is fortunately not such that you cannot work if you are politically active wife. After all, we live in a democratic country with legislation that takes these conditions into account. There is my wife fully competent to handle its own decisions and it is not something I am in any way involved in.

- Back to the heart of the matter, it is to create business development and activity in a city as Qeqertarsuaq. This is what we hope Josette Sheeran's network can contribute to to. She has already been to Qeqertarsuaq several times this year and has always been welcomed by the locals, says Jørgen Wæver Johansen.