At Coca-Cola, the No. 1 soda maker, three-quarters of its volume in gallons comes from soft drinks, compared with 8 percent for its bottled waters including Dasani.

WSJ: America's new love: Water

Although companies such as Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. would rather have people buy bottled waters, they're even more invested in getting people to drink more soda again.

WSJ: America's new love: Water

Soda, for example, is generally more profitable than bottled waters.

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Like its competitors, Coca-Cola said it's focusing on growing its portfolio of bottled waters profitably by offering brands such as Smartwater and its flavored vitaminwater, which fetch higher prices.

WSJ: America's new love: Water

British experts, tasting an array of expensive bottled waters for a consumer magazine, awarded top marks to a humble sample of tap water from Thames Water, a less-than-fashionable utility.

ECONOMIST: Business this week | The

In a regional spot for O Premium Waters , a small bottled water company in Mesa, Ariz.

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In the meantime, the chairman and former CEO of Nestle Waters North America, Kim Jeffery, is waiting for bottled water's moment in the spotlight.

WSJ: America's new love: Water

That's not counting enhanced and flavored waters, which are growing quickly but remain a small part of the bottled water industry.

WSJ: America's new love: Water

Entrants representing countries from Bosnia to South Korea submit a total of more than 100 waters among four categories, including best municipal (tap) water, best bottled non-carbonated water, best bottled carbonated water and best purified (distilled or mechanically filtered) water.

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