VALENTINA CUGNASCA, co-founder, Vertical Water: ‘Once people taste it, they’re hooked’
Our next entrepreneur to watch is Valentina Cugnasca, who strayed into the beverage industry almost by accident as she sought to transform a timberland investment fund into a model for sustainable forestry.
Today, Vertical Water (maple water), which she set up with her father Paolo (who founded risk management firm Emcor Securities), is just one of several revenue-generating initiatives emerging from Feronia Forests, including an aerial adventure park called Ramblewild, and renewable energy projects (solar and wind).
“Call it tree-hugging capitalism, but you can get value out of a forest without just cutting down the trees," says Cugnasca, who now sells her product in more than 1,100 stores nationwide. "We are passionate about our mission to keep trees vertical, one sip at a time."
Click HERE to read our recent interview with Cugnasca.