The South Florida startup, pronounced \u201cair,\u201d is preparing to launch a premium bottled water brand made from moisture pulled directly from the atmosphere. If that sounds a little like science fiction, that\u2019s exactly what CEO Pete Carr thought when someone first encountered the technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea what you were talking about,\u201d Carr told Refresh Miami.<\/p>\n
After 36 years in the beverage industry, including leadership roles at Red Bull, Diageo, Southern Glazer\u2019s, and McCarthy, Carr was planning to retire. Then a trip to Dubai changed everything. Watching machines generate drinking water in the middle of the desert, he immediately saw something the engineers hadn\u2019t considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Why aren\u2019t we selling bottled water?\u2019\u201d he recalled. Their response? \u201cThey said, \u2018Why would you do that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Carr called longtime colleague Ryan Bibbo, another beverage industry veteran, and together they saw an opportunity to bring atmospheric water generation into the consumer market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re beverage guys,\u201d now COO Bibbo said. \u201cWe kept hearing about how pure the water is that\u2019s created from this process. We said, \u2018Why not put it in a can or a bottle and sell it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of drawing water from springs or aquifers, A1R\u2019s machines pull moisture from the air, filter it through hospital-grade HEPA systems, and separate out the water vapor. The result is an exceptionally pure source of water before minerals are added back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not one bottled water you\u2019re going to walk down and see that didn\u2019t come from the ground,\u201d Bibbo said. \u201cOurs will not be from the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The company isn\u2019t trying to compete with value brands. Carr\u2019s ambition is far more upscale. \u201cOur vision is to be the champagne of water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A1R plans to sell its products in aluminum cans and glass bottles, targeting luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, beach clubs, and nightlife venues rather than warehouse shelves.<\/p>\n
That strategy is being built in South Florida. The company is completing a 110,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in Hialeah, where it will manufacture both canned and bottled products. It currently employs 14 people in the U.S. and expects that number to grow significantly as production ramps up.<\/p>\n
Miami is also where the brand plans to make its first splash. A1R has already signed partnerships with Inter Miami, the Miami Heat, and the Florida Panthers as it introduces itself to consumers.<\/p>\n
But bottled water is only one side of the business. The same atmospheric water generators can also be used by governments, military organizations, construction sites, off-grid communities, and disaster response teams. Several units are already operating at Funky Buddha Brewery in Fort Lauderdale, where visitors can watch drinking water being produced directly from humid Florida air.<\/p>\n
For a state where hurricane season is a fact of life, Carr sees obvious potential. \u201cIt\u2019s not if we\u2019re having a hurricane in South Florida,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s when.\u201d The company believes its systems could provide clean drinking water after storms while also serving industrial customers year-round.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an ambitious plan: build a premium consumer brand while creating a second business around the technology behind it. Yet seeing the technology in action has become A1R\u2019s best sales pitch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Carr put it, \u201cWhen people see the water coming off the machines\u2026 they\u2019re like, \u2018Got it. Sale closed\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pictured above: A1R water Co-founders Pete Carr, CEO, at left, and Ryan Bibbo, COO.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Miami-Heat-Arena.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:<\/p>\n
I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.<\/p>\n ![\"Riley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4q0a7418-1.jpeg\")
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